Blackfire's Revenge
by Splinter1
Summary: Blackfire, Starfire's sister, plots her revenge. Also, Edward reveals that he has a child from a long time ago who will play a part in this story. Crossover: Justice League (Season 1 and 2). Mentions: Knight Rider (1981) and "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues". The team returns home. COMPLETE!
1. Edward has a secret!

**Blackfire's Revenge**

June, 2012

Rated: T

Author's Note: Teen Titans are owned by DC Comics/Warner Brothers/Cartoon Network. Justice League characters are owned by DC Comics.

**Prologue  
[Titans Tower – Feb 29, 2012]**

_Edward Barnes writes…_

_The wedding plans between Raven and I are coming along nicely and we've even set a date for it later this year. We had coordinated with Alfred at Wayne Manor, but, barring any missions, the date is set._

_But, this tale is going to be far out…of this world. Readers may recall Starfire was forced to banish Blackfire from Tamaran a few years ago after taking the crown from Blackfire in a challenge._

_Turns out that Blackfire wants revenge on Starfire for that and another incident that happened here on Earth prior to that. Blackfire unsuccessfully tried to frame Starfire for stealing a valuable gem. It almost worked, too. Starfire had been arrested just prior to the truth coming out and Starfire was released with apologies and Blackfire arrested._

_But, ole Blackie is back and she's not going to be here on a social visit. When will the Titans' enemies get the hint to leave us alone? Malchior tried, Trigon tried, others have tried and none have had much luck._

_Guess Blackfire will need to find out that I protect my friends as others have discovered…But, as she's scheming, the Titans have some downtime to take care of some business._

**Chapter 1  
[The Swamp Planet – Sometime after "Betrothed"]**

Blackfire of Tamaran was angry, in fact, beyond angry. The reason why was that she burned with the desire to avenge herself on Starfire. She had been humiliated by her younger sister for the last time and this was in front of a lot of people. She had assumed the throne of Tamaran, only to lose it during a challenge. After she lost the crown, her sister immediately banished her from the planet, never to return.

However, that was Starfire's only royal decree. She had abdicated the throne and appointed Galfore in her place. To Blackfire, it proved that Starfire was far weaker than she appeared in the "morals" department.

In Blackfire's mind, the only rightful person to be on the throne from her parent's offspring was herself, so, she decided that it was best to overthrow Galfore and thus take the throne again.

"How am I going to get the crown back?" she said to her "husband", a large green gelatin like creature who name was as hard to spell as it was to pronounce!

The residents of the planet were not really a race where combat was an issue, but, that didn't stop Blackfire from keeping tabs on things back home. She was waiting to see if Galfore would trip himself up and leave himself open for a challenge. Under Tamaranian law, the crown could be challenged in honorable battle, even by someone banished. The person had to wait five years and that time was just about up.

"I'll have to challenge Galfore for the crown, but, he's far larger than I am," she said, "But, he's also getting old and clumsy. I might be able to use that to my advantage. I also know that there are others who liked my firm hand as ruler who dared not expose themselves after my dear sister banished me! If I can stir up enough unrest, even from here…Galfore would have to abdicate the throne and Tamaran will not only be mine, I will have my revenge on Koriand'r!"

Blackfire started making her plans that evening and it would take months to accomplish.

**[Titan Tower]**

The team was actually able to enjoy some downtime and Cyborg was using that time to enhance the T-Ship. With the addition of Terra, Edward and Jericho to the team, there had to be three new pods added. While Edward had the advantage of teleportation for the team, there were places that Edward had never been to and that negated his teleportation. Also, there was the possibility that the team would have to go into space and Edward made it clear that his teleportation had limits. He wasn't sure if he could teleport between planets or, for that matter, entire solar systems.

So, Cyborg redesigned the T-Ship to work with the expanded team and started to train Terra and Jericho on flying. Oddly enough, Edward had a firm grasp of flight and in the simulator, did fairly well in his first flights, but, in fairness to the other two, Edward agreed to train with them.

Jericho's pod had to be specially designed to accommodate his inability to speak. So, Cyborg added several subroutines to the pod to allow for lip reading. Even though the nerve that controlled the vocal cord was cut, he still could move his lips as if he were talking. The pod's onboard camera would then capture those movements and the internal AI would vocalize them. Cyborg was also working on a more human sounding device for him to allow him to talk as normally as possible.

In the meantime, the rest of the team was learning sign language from Edward, Jericho and Arella. That was also coming along nicely and would give the team another tactical advantage in fights.

Edward had taken Raven to see Melvin, Timmy and Teether at the monastery to tell them that they were getting married and to explain what that meant.

Edward sensed Raven's sudden upheaval when Melvin asked, "Will that mean I have a new mommy and daddy?"

Edward said, "Do you think as Raven as your mommy?"

Melvin said, "She's been like a mommy since we met her."

[I never wanted that to happen! It was a mission, nothing more!] she objected telepathically.

[Sweetheart, might as well get used to it. I've sensed that maternal instinct within you for a long time. Recall you were willing to risk your life to save Melvin from the whale?] Edward said gently.

[True,] Raven said.

"No," Raven said aloud, "I will stay as your new mommy, if that's what you really want."

Melvin tackled Raven in a hug and started crying. Edward patted Melvin on the back and she started to calm down and said, "Will you be my dad?"

Edward said, "Yes, Melvin. As I will be with Raven for a long time, I'll be your dad."

Timmy and Teether were too young to really understand, though, but, Edward said, "Would you like Raven and me to be your mommy and daddy?"

Both boys nodded and got hugs. They ended up spending the day there letting the monks know what was going to be happening. But, the kids would need to stay there where it was safe for a while yet.

The monks were pleased to hear that news, though. They had a feeling that Edward and Raven would become a full time couple and the idea of them getting married was within their beliefs.

Then, Edward and Raven went to visit Kole and Gnaark in their tropical paradise hidden in the Arctic Circle.

"You're getting married?" Kole asked, not believing her ears.

"We are," Raven said deadpan.

Kole's face sort of fell and Edward remembered that the young woman did have a crush on him.

Edward felt bad as he sensed her heart breaking.

[Dammit, Kole still had a crush on me,] Edward lamented to Raven.

[You think? You want to talk to her or should I?] Raven asked.

[Both of us,] Edward replied.

Edward held his arms out and Kole fell into him.

"It's OK, Kole," Edward said, "Let it out, then, we'll talk."

"Gnaark?" he said.

"Kole is upset," Raven replied, "She had a crush on Edward for a while. She'll be fine. She needs to let go of those emotions."

Kole merely wept silently for a while.

She finally calmed down and apologized.

"No need to apologize, Kole," Edward said gently, "I had a hunch the first time you met me that you had feelings towards me. Keep those feelings of friendship close to your heart, little one. I will always consider you to be friend and family."

"Same here," Raven said, "Heck, if someone else has to have feelings for my fiancée, I would rather it be you. You're a really nice woman, and I'm glad Robin made you honorary Titans."

"You're not jealous?" Kole asked.

Raven shook her head, "Not at all. I know where Edward's heart is and you're great to be around."

"High praise," Edward said with a smile.

Well, they talked for a while longer, making sure that Kole would be OK. They also collected some of the fruits that the team enjoyed so much and returned to the Tower.

Of course, the team was happy for Edward and Raven, but, deep down, Robin worried that this would break up the team someday. It would be a strain on either the upcoming marriage and/or the team. But, for now, it was far down the road and even he had to admit that he shouldn't obsess over this problem.

Edward, for his part, had taken a slightly less active role in team matters. He realized that if he did everything, the team would fall apart, so, even in fights, he'd let the team work as it did before he joined. He'd pick up the slack, though, as he usually would.

He was even working on his other major issue and that was his over-protectiveness of Raven. He was realizing that Raven needed her space and, he had to let her deal with threats. He was starting to remember more about the teamwork needed in a marriage. He was remembering a couple, lost to the ages who had a huge impact on his life…A couple exiled from their own time and dropped practically in his lap. He learned much from them, in fact, he learned more from them than he taught them about life in the mid-18th Century. They taught him the value of family and friends as seen in this current time frame.

One secret he didn't tell the team, though, is that while his wife had died almost 200 years ago, he had a son with her who had inherited most of his abilities and traits. That meant that his son, David, was still alive and making a good living. They talked at times, though, and were still close.

He didn't even tell Raven this, though, but, he would have to soon as David deserved to be at the wedding. With him fully grown, though, it made things easier in one respect.

But, Edward had his mind on another problem regarding procreation. Raven was still half demon due to Trigon's DNA and there was the possibility that she could not get pregnant. He had a hunch, though, that problem could fix itself.

"Hey, Victor?" Edward said.

"What's up?" he said.

"I need a favor, if you have time," Edward said, "I need to know if there's any possible problems for Raven and I post-marriage regarding having kids. Is there a way to determine if our DNA is even compatible or would we have to adopt?"

"Best way to tell is to actually have sex with one another and see if she gets pregnant," Cyborg replied, "But, I know that you are being a gentleman with her and won't do that before the wedding. The computer has your DNA and hers on file, so, we might be able to run simulations instead."

"That'll work," Edward said with a smile. There was no way he was going to touch Raven sexually until after the wedding ceremony.

They headed to the lab and Cyborg set up the initial parameters after asking Edward a few questions.

A 3D hologram appeared that showed their respective DNA patterns coming together normally in the first few seconds after conception and then the two strands of DNA bounced off each other…"INCOMPATIBLE DNA" flashed as the two strands dissolved.

"Run the test with a change: My sperm morphs to match up with Raven's genome," Edward requested.

The computer was fed that information and the simulation was rerun.

This time, Edward's DNA came together and merged with Raven's! The DNA strands wrapped around each other in their own embrace before settling into a single strand of DNA…"DNA COMPATIBLE…Pregnancy of 9 months possible. Child would be a live birth with a combination of Edward's and Raven's abilities. Abilities unknown."

Edward smiled broadly, then.

"Dawg!" Cyborg said, "I'd have to run additional tests using live material. This is just a computer simulation."

"Rae would never go for that," Edward said, "She'd never sacrifice an ovum to see if my sperm would impregnate her. And, would my sperm be capable of destroying the ovum instead of just following simple biology?"

"Good points," Cyborg said. He made a few more changes to the simulation and ran it from the cellular level.

The first test didn't look all that good, sadly. It showed the ovum being attacked normally, then, one sperm cell gets through. The egg casing hardened to prevent other cells from getting in, but, that didn't matter. Within moments, there was a fuzzy mass…"EGG DESTROYED. Pregnancy terminated after 2.5 seconds."

Edward sat down heavily and sighed.

Cyborg put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "Let me run this again with a change in the situation. This first one was run as if you and Raven were having sex. Let's see if the results are different if it's 'test tube' style instead."

He made the change and, well, it didn't matter one bit. The ovum was still torn apart.

Edward felt like screaming, but, he stayed cool.

"I don't get it," he said, "Cyborg, can you keep a secret for a little while?"

"Depends on what it is," Cyborg said.

"Look up the DNA records for a David J. Barnes," Edward said.

"It will take some time," Cyborg said, inputting the search parameters into the Tower AI.

"Searching," the AI replied.

"Wanna tell me who this guy is?" Cyborg said.

"Wait for the DNA to be found," Edward replied.

A few minutes later, a new DNA strand started rotating and Edward said, "Computer, cross-reference my DNA with that of the DNA just downloaded."

A moment later, the computer had blended Edward's DNA with the new set and the computer said, "DNA matches Edward Barnes natively. Other DNA is from a reptilian shapeshifter."

"Your son?" Cyborg exclaimed.

"That's correct, Vic," Edward said with a smile, "That's why I need you to keep quiet about this for a short while. The others will need to know soon, but, I have to tell Raven first."

"You ashamed of the kid?" Cyborg challenged.

"Not at all," Edward said, "He's my flesh and blood. I could never be ashamed of him. He's a good kid, living in Chicago."

"How old is he?" Cyborg asked.

"He was born on July 4, 1776," Edward said with a grin as Cyborg's jaw hit the floor.

"Paula knew the importance of the day from a historical point, but, she made it a rule that I was not to ask anything about the future," Edward continued.

"How would she have known the future?" Cyborg asked.

"Computer, pull all known records pertaining to Paula Nichols," Edward commanded.

A picture of a woman in her early 20s was displayed and as Cyborg read the file, he noted "Disappeared while on dig in France on July 30, 2007 and still missing."

Edward choked back a tear as he said, "Pull historical records of Paula Barnes."

The screen changed to reveal a painting of a woman in her early 30s and relevant information. The date was in 1760, though.

"They look like they are the same woman," Cyborg said.

"One and the same," Edward said sadly.

"You all right?" Cyborg asked.

Edward shook his head, unable to speak further.

Raven raced into the room then. She saw Edward fighting to keep his emotions together and looked at the screen.

_So, this must be his long lost wife, _the empath realized.

"I'm here, honey," Raven said, fighting off the intense waves of pain coming off him.

She risked the full brunt of his emotional state and pulled him into an embrace, trying to pour waves of calmness and happiness into the link.

Edward's control faltered then as the tears fell.

"Damn," Cyborg said, "Never thought I'd see this." He sat down as well and just put a hand on Edward.

[Shh,] Raven cooed, [It's all right, my love. I'm here.]

[Please go, Rae,] Edward begged, [I don't want you seeing me like this.]

[Not chasing me away that easily,] she said gently, [How many times have you comforted me or Terra or someone else on the team? I know you still miss her.]

[I know,] he said, [Can't help it…missing her for some reason.]

[Don't go there, dear,] Raven chided, [From what you told me, she was a great person.]

[She was a great person and a great mom,] Edward replied.

[You adopted kids?] she asked, confused.

[No,] Edward replied, [We had a child together, Rachel. His name's David.]

[Wow!] she replied, [Is he…]

[Alive and well in Chicago. He's as old as the USA is, to the day,] Edward said.

[Why didn't you tell me before?] Raven said.

[David decided long ago to not be as revealing about his abilities as I am,] Edward replied, [We are still very close, luckily. You'll meet him soon. But, it's his mom I miss more. When she died…it felt like a piece of me went with her. You have no idea how hard it was for me to sit back and not interfere with her during her childhood when she was born.]

By then, he was starting to regain control over his emotions. What he didn't know was that Raven, being an empath, was drawing out his pain a little bit, enough to allow his emotions to be controlled.

She knew that if she tried to draw it all out, it would potentially hurt her badly and Edward was adamant that she not hurt herself.

He knew that as an empath, Raven couldn't help intervening at times and with him, she had to be careful. His more intense emotions would easily overwhelm her where she to try to take them all in at once, so, she'd learned to take only a small amount to help him regain control.

But, as Raven looked at Paula, she couldn't help but wonder who she really was to affect her fiancée so intensely.

It wasn't the right time, though. Raven knew that Edward might not react well to any questions, so, she waited as he calmed himself.

Edward finally managed to calm down and said, "I think it's time that you guys met my son."

Little did they know that this meeting would have bigger implications for everyone.

* * *

_OK, this sets part of the stage for this new adventure. Yeah, Edward's got a son who will make his appearance. I'm still figuring out the kid's abilities, but, he'll have most, if not all of Edward's skill set._

_Also, I've noticed an uptick on folks favoriting the stories up to now. Thanks!  
_


	2. Edward tells a story while Blackie plots

**Chapter 2  
[An hour later]**

Edward had gathered the other Titans to tell them the "big secret". He had decided not to torture Cyborg with keeping the news to himself.

"Friends," he started to say, "There is something that you need to know. Nothing bad, I assure you, though.

"As you know, I had a wife a couple of centuries ago. More like 260 years ago to be more precise. During that time, as married couples will do, we mated.

"That said, Paula eventually became pregnant and with the help of several of my dearest friends, she gave birth to a healthy son."

"What a minute," Robin said, "I'm no doctor, but, you're a dragon and wasn't Paula human?"

"Mostly, yes," Edward said, "Paula shared several of my traits, including shapeshifting. She was limited to reptilian forms, though. As a dragon, by definition, is a reptile, there was enough compatible DNA to allow her to become pregnant. And, before anyone asks: It was a normal vaginal birth, she didn't lay an egg."

At that point, the Titans, each one with the picture of a woman sitting on an egg wiped that out…well, Rae and Cyborg were the ones that already knew.

"A baby Dragon?" Beast Boy said grinning, "Awesome!"

"Is he still alive?" Terra asked.

"He's living in Chicago, as we speak," Edward continued, "He's made a good life for himself. I know that he's a self-made billionaire many times over as Paula and I taught him well. Our exiled friends from this time helped as long as they could, but, by the time David was born, they were already quite old. As far as we could figure, they were in their early 80s when they died. My son's namesake died first and we laid him to rest. His wife, Angie, died less than a year later. That hurt laying her to rest next to her husband."

"Exiled from this time?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah, someone got the bright idea to alter history in a huge way. From what I recall, there was a purple flash that washed over the landscape. I recall I was in the air when that happened and I woke up buried neck deep in a forest. That's when they were exiled to the middle of the 18th Century. I stumbled on them right after they arrived.

"But, I want to focus on my son here as well. Like I said, he's living in Chicago and while he's known as my son, he plays down his abilities, leaving that to dear ole dad. Don't get me wrong, he does use them as required. He's helped in several major traffic accidents and even, on occasion has teamed up with local firefighters to help put out bad fires."

"What are his abilities?" Raven asked.

"He's got most of mine, actually," Edward said, "He can teleport, for example. But, he doesn't time teleport. He's got my breath weapons and shapeshifting. However, his shapeshifting is like his mom's, reptilian only.

"He had rapid healing, but, it's not a true immortality. He is aging, albeit extremely slow. He may live to see 1000, if he's careful, but, we think that's the oldest he would get."

"How strong is he?" Jericho signed.

"He's in his prime years, so, I'd say his strength is very close to mine," Edward answered, "Probably when he gets over 500, certainly by 750, his strength and abilities will start to fade, as yours will as you age."

"Something I've been wanting to ask," Cyborg said, "Are you warm blooded?"

Edward chuckled, "Certainly. Put it this way, when I picked Mallah up at the South Pole, it wasn't just his teeth that were chattering. Mine were as well. He was lucky…he has a built in fur coat. When in Dragon form…"

Starfire said, "You were in your suit of the birthday?"

Raven blushed hearing that, but, not as bad as Edward. Starfire giggled hearing that one. Beast Boy also turned an odd shade as Terra jabbed, "HA! That means you're nakkie as well!"

"Me and my big fat mouth," Edward groaned.

[This is rich,] Happy squealed via the link, [Lust will never let you live that down, Eddie-Boy!]

Edward sighed…

**[Somewhere in space]**

While Edward was busy humiliating himself and Beast Boy by extension, Blackfire was considering several options to avenge herself. One was to try to overthrow Galfore and seize power by a challenge.

Another was to force Galfore to abdicate by going after Starfire and her friends. If she was able to defeat the Titans and take Starfire hostage with the threat to either kill her or sell her back into slavery, unless she were named Empress of Tamaran, she'd still win.

Last two times she tried to take on the Titans, she lost. And, that was mainly to Starfire in the physical aspect, but, then they worked together to solve a problem, they were hard to beat. The key was the masked teenager as he proved himself a serious thorn in Blackfire's side. He was the one that sent his other teammates to find out that the "invasion" of Tamaran was a ruse.

Blackfire also had tried to send Starfire into slavery and was dismayed when it was reported to her that Starfire had not only escaped, but, with her new friends, destroyed the vessel chasing them. So, that gave her an additional reason to go after Starfire once more.

And, it gave her an opening with the Gordanians to go to Earth and retake Starfire.

As she thought about it, the more she liked it. She'd sic the Gordanians on the puny Earthlings, kidnap her naïve little sister and force Galfore to abdicate in exchange for Starfire being released. But, would she honor her word?

She went over to the communications console and sent out a message to the lead Gordanian.

"How would you like a chance to take over a small planet?" she asked sweetly.

"And what planet would that be? Tamaran?" the guy replied, "Bah! They'd never accept our rule."

"Yeah, right," Blackfire said, "I got a better one: Earth. They got lucky before because it was just one ship. Take a whole fleet and they will surrender!"

"I highly doubt that," he said, "Have you forgotten that planet is protected by Kal-El, the last Martian, and the Green Lanterns as well as those Titans?"

"Like I care about their Justice League or those Titans!" Blackfire snarled.

"You should, Princess Blackfire!" the Gordanian said, "The Titans have gotten more powerful. Our spies tell us that they have added three new members, each with different abilities.

"The first is called Terra. She was recently rescued from a stone prison and her powers are formidable in their own right as she can make the earth quake with her mind." He displayed a picture of Terra on the viewscreen.

"Then," he continued, "They have a shapeshifter among their ranks…"

"That green Beast Boy?" Blackfire interrupted.

"No, Princess," he said, "A far more powerful one. He is named Edward Barnes and he's a mythical creature called a Dragon. He's capable of tearing through my ships if he's enraged. Our spies tell us that there's been several attempts on the one called Raven's life and sanity and Barnes had met the threat with deadly force at times. Watch, my princess."

He displayed the news footage of Edward and Terra teaming up to destroy Malchior. Then, he displayed footage of when Raven was injured by Plasmus and Edward quickly freezing Plasmus and shattering the hardened outer shell before snarling that Raven best be unharmed or he'd take it out of the kid's hide.

"So," Blackfire said, "Raven's his weak spot. We can exploit that if needed."

"Blackfire," the Gordanian said, "Push Barnes too far and his anger consumes him. He's extremely protective of this girl. But, look here and you'd see how he protects the rest of the team."

He displayed some footage of when Jump City was being held hostage so Slade could get hold of Terra again. The footage showed Edward disguising himself as Terra.

"He morphed to Terra?" Blackfire asked.

"That's part of his abilities," the hulking leader replied, "Unlike the green shapeshifter, Barnes can disguise himself as any of the Titans or another humanoid."

"Surely, he doesn't keep his strength in other forms?" Blackfire asked.

"On the contrary," the Gordanian replied, "He's been seen lifting objects that only his half-machine friend or Princess Starfire can lift in his human form."

"Hmmm," Blackfire said, "Then, we take this guy out first."

"Confident, aren't we?" the Gordanian muttered, "There's another one, but, we don't have any information on him, yet. The Titans haven't had much reason to leave their tower."

"We'll have to give them a reason to leave their tower, then," Blackfire said, "First, we will lure their precious Justice League away from the planet to make sure that the main fleet can get in there without a problem. If Barnes goes with them, all the better. If not, if won't matter.

"Once the League is out of the way, I want that city LEVELED!"

"I will have battle plans ready within a week," he replied.

"You have 72 hours," Blackfire said coldly, "Or you'll end up like others who stood against me."

The meaning was clear. She was willing to put others in the ground or vaporize them or otherwise get rid of them if they didn't do as they were told.

Blackfire ended the transmission and in the privacy of her room, screamed in rage.

She had not expected the Titans to have picked up new members and she had to get rid of the Justice League as well. The other issue was the blasted Green Lantern Corp. They might be able to lure John Stewart away, but, there was a backup Lantern: Hal Jordan. He was the exception to the general rule of one Lantern per sector.

Assuming that they could lure the League away and leave the area unguarded by the Lanterns, they would be halfway home.

Blackfire wondered if she could fool the Grand Centauri Empire into asking the League for help in capturing some criminal and she had an idea who would be the patsy: Lobo.

She pulled the file she had on the guy and smiled. _Perfect! That idiot is right on the edges of their space. Find a nice tasty morsel for him and once he bites, the jackasses from the Empire will chase poor Lobo._

Poor Lobo indeed…

* * *

_I'm going to be splitting time between this story and one other I am planning on...A sequel to **Trouble in Tokyo**. However, that other one will be worked on in the background as I don't want to get things confused. The stories have been in a chronological order and want to keep it that way._

_I know this is looking like a crossover, but, I want to keep the JL characters to a minimum and focus on the Titans.  
_

_Will Edward's son make an appearance here? Time will tell.  
_

_Oh, for more background on Edward's backstory, check out my profile! With the external links restored, I have a link to my writing partner's website :)  
_

_Don't forget...Reviews are encouragement. Please leave a review...good, bad or indifferent works for me. Constructive criticism encouraged...Flame get the heave-ho from Edward and the plot bunny.  
_


	3. David visits during Cinderblock incident

**Chapter 3  
[Titans Tower]**

Edward had relented and made a phone call to Chicago to talk to David.

Both ends had video capability, so, both were able to see one another, luckily.

"Hi, son," Edward said, "Long time, no see."

"Hi, Pop," David said, "What's going on?"

"Not too much," Edward said, "Just hanging out with my new friends."

"Those Titans?" David said, "I've heard a few things about them and a few adventures you've been involved in."

"The gang's pretty cool, I think," Edward said, "They are the reason I'm calling, actually."

"Oh?" David said.

"I'm getting married, son," Edward said. David's face drained of color and his jaw dropped for a second.

He recovered and said, "The rumors are true, then?"

"They are, David," Edward said, motioning to the others. They came into view and Edward continued, "This is Robin, the team leader, followed by his girlfriend Starfire. Then we have Beast Boy and Terra, followed by Cyborg, Jericho, Arella and finally, my fiancée Raven. Guys, this is my son, David J. Barnes."

"Nice to meet you folks," David said politely.

"Same here," Robin said, speaking for the others, "We'd like to invite you to visit the Tower when you have a chance."

David smiled and said, "I'd like that. Hey, dad?"

"Yes, my son?" Edward asked.

"What's it like being with these kids?" David asked.

"That's a loaded question," Edward said, "You have to remember that to you and I…everyone is a kid. However, for the most part, it's fun. There's been a few tough spots, though."

"I've heard," David said, "Some stories actually make it to Chicago, you know. I do keep up with you. Pop, some of what I've heard has me concerned. You could have gotten into serious trouble killing that other Dragon. Technically, we're an endangered species."

"Son," Edward said, his voice turning icy, "You have no idea what that bastard was doing to Raven's mind. He was bent on destroying her from the inside out. Do you remember when you were still a boy how Uncle Dave, the Child, and Aunt Angie were attacked by evil forces? Do you remember hearing of the battles we were forced to fight back then? I risked being hung as a damned sorcerer. So did your mother. I was not about to let Malchior kill Raven or leave her a vegetable!"

[Easy, dear,] Raven said telepathically, [David doesn't know what happened.]

David was deep in thought and replied, "I remember, Pop. Those were some nasty fights. I know how protective you are towards your friends. Raven must be a special gal to win your heart. I'm happy for you, Dad. I'll come over soon as my schedule allows."

"How about just dinner, then?" Cyborg said, "Your dad is a mean cook!"

David laughed, "That he is. All right, you talked me into it. I don't have anything planned tonight. I can be there shortly."

Edward smiled, "See you then, David. Get a picture of the Titan Tower for your teleport and land on the roof, please."

"Will do, Pop," he replied before signing off.

"You were kind of stern with him for a moment," Beast Boy said. At Edward's glare, Beast Boy said, "Not that I blame you, though. We've all been in Raven's mind."

"He's my son, Garfield," Edward said slowly, "I'll thank you to NOT QUESTION ME again!"

"Whoa!" Robin said gently, "No sense biting BB's head off, right? David didn't even flinch at the rebuke."

Edward sighed, "My apologies, guys."

"It's all right, man," Beast Boy said, "Hey, I got a joke for you. Why did the aardvark cross the road?"

"To beat up the idiot telling jokes about him," Raven deadpanned, and still got a laugh out of everyone, even Terra!

"Rae, sweetie, you could be BB's straight gal," Edward said with a chuckle.

"Not in a million years," Raven said, "I'd kill him first."

"Please," Starfire said, "What is a straight gal? Raven doesn't look very str…" She didn't finish as a ebon black bubble appeared for a second.

Raven released her a second later.

Edward chuckled, "Well, to answer the first part, in human comedy shows, one person tells the joke or otherwise does the comedy routine and a second guy is more serious, or, sometimes will take part in the overall routine.

"As for the second part…no comment, Raven's curved just right."

Raven glowered, [Don't push your luck, dear.]

[Who, me?] Edward replied.

"No fair!" Cyborg said, "Y'alls doing that telepathy thing!"

Edward sighed. He needed to learn to maintain a poker face when using telepathy with Raven.

"Some thoughts are best left private, man," Edward said.

"What's his favorite food," Robin asked.

"He likes pretty much anything," Edward said, "Growing up over the last 200+ years, he's seen a lot of different things, like I have. He tends to lean more towards the vegetarian side, though, but he does eat meat as well. Paula and I taught him that there's no shame in eating meat."

"She must have been a special gal," Jericho signed.

"She was, Jericho," Edward sighed, "Very special."

Raven said, "Don't get Edward started. I'm being slammed by his emotions."

"Don't you block those?" Terra asked.

"Not these," Raven said, "They're too strong to totally block."

She went over and put her arms around her fiancée and said, "It's OK. We're here."

Edward returned the gesture, of course. He was struggling internally, but, he drew strength from Raven and got his emotions in control.

He didn't realize it, but, the physical contact was intentional on Raven's part. She was drawing out some of his inner pain and releasing it. In that respect, she was like one of Edward's friends, a Shaolin priest named Caine. The man had passed on a few years ago, but, the wisdom imparted was invaluable and not easily forgotten. He was full of life lessons and a top notch Kung Fu master who taught Edward a few things. One was to embrace his emotions in order to accept them and, then, let them go.

Raven, as an empath, did that on an instinctual level. If she didn't, the flood of emotions she dealt with could hurt her, even kill her. That was something that, had Edward known about, would no longer allow her to do on his behalf.

He smiled at her a few moments later and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Let's start dinner, shall we?" he said.

Just then, though, there was a shadow across the sun and a thud on the roof.

"Intruder alert!" the Tower AI said, "Arming weapons."

"Abort!" Cyborg ordered, "Authorization Cyborg 1-1-A!"

"Aborted," the AI said and fell silent.

The team went to the roof and as they emerged, there was a small dragon there carefully walking over. He morphed back to his human form as Edward reached him.

They hugged each other tightly for a moment as Robin said, "Welcome to Titan Tower!"

"Thank you," David said with a grin.

"It's good to see you, son," Edward said, "You look well."

David said, "You too, Pop."

They walked over to the others and was roundly greeted. He shook hands with almost everyone, but, was treated to a Starfire bone crushing hug.

"Damn!" David said, "She's almost as strong as you!"

"Star's definitely a powerful gal," Edward said, "She knows that I can tolerate her stronger hugs, but, as Terra can attest…Starfire tends to leave bruises accidentally."

"Tell me about it," the geomancer said, "The first time she welcomed me, I was sore for a week."

David looked at Arella and then Raven and asked, "Your mom?"

"She is," Raven said.

David said, "I've never had a future mother-in-law before. Regardless, it's an honor to meet you, ma'am."

"Please, call me Arella," she said as David gently kissed her hand. Edward smiled to himself. He and Paula had taught David how to be a gentlemen.

David did the same with Terra, who giggled at the attention. Raven was given the same treatment and quipped, "Should I call you Mom?"

"No chance," Raven replied, "You're way older than almost all of us, save your father. You may call me Raven or Rachel."

"Your real name?" David asked.

"Yes," she replied, "Rachel is my real name, but, I prefer Raven."

"Raven it is, then," David said with a smile.

"I assume you all have other identities?" David asked.

"Most of the team does have other identities, son," Edward replied, "It's their choice to trust you with that information or not. Only one here needs to keep his true identity a secret."

"I understand," David replied. He should, as he knew the pains his father went through for centuries to avoid the noose or worse, the stake. He's heal from being hung rather quickly. Being turned into a BBQ was something else as Edward did not know how he'd heal from the attempt. He was lucky that he never found out.

When Edward introduced Jericho he said, "This is Jericho. He's a mute, so, he will be talking in sign language, but, he hears just fine."

"Nice to meet you," David said.

"I'm honored," Jericho said.

"The honor is mine," David replied. Jericho smiled, "You know sign language."

"Of course," David said, "One of the traits I inherited was languages. I learned to read and speak in sign language a long time ago."

"Arella, Jericho and I are teaching the rest of the team to read sign language," Edward said, "They are good students."

"I bet," David said with a laugh, "You always were a good teacher, Pop."

"Shall we give you the 50 cent tour, son?" Edward said.

"Nah," Cyborg said, "He gets the whole place!"

But, before that could happen, everyone's alert indicators went off! They raced downstairs, David confused, but, following as they went into the common room.

"Titans, trouble," Robin said needlessly, "It's Cinderblock again. Edward, Beast Boy and Raven go. If you wanna tag along with them, David, you can."

The selected ones went to the roof and Edward said, "Raven, you and BB teleport on ahead. David and I will be right behind you."

A moment later, Raven used her method of teleportation to get herself and BB to the location. Terra came running up and said, "Robin added me to the list."

Edward nodded, "Good call.

He morphed and said, "Terra and David, hop on. I know where this is at."

They complied and Edward spread his wings. He leapt off the edge of the roof and after a couple of wing beats, teleported as well.

A moment later, he emerged to see Beast Boy as a T-rex charging Cinderblock as Raven was using her powers to levitate a lamp post to try to wrap around him.

Edward landed and said, "We meet again, Cinderblock."

Cinderblock turned towards the threat as David and Terra got off. David took a second to morph into his dragon form. Terra responded by lifting up several large chunks of pavement.

Beast Boy slammed into Cinderblock, knocking both down. Beast Boy morphed back to human and Edward could almost see the stars orbiting his head.

Raven wrapped Cinderblock up in the lamp post, only to see it shredded a moment later.

"Titans, GO!" Edward said and morphed into an elephant. He trumpeted a challenge and charged as Cinderblock did the same. A gout of flame met Cinderblock as David opened fire. Several large chunks of pavement and stone slammed into him as well. A few seconds later, Edward slammed into Cinderblock as well, knocking the creature down again. Edward resumed his Dragon form and asked, "Give up?"

The response was immediate and painful for Edward as Cinderblock used his massive fists to clobber him on both sides of his head.

Edward collapsed, stunned for several long moments. He didn't hear the sudden growl from Raven or his own son…or Beast Boy for that matter.

Raven's cloak elongated to a good 15 feet tall as she growled, "No one hurts my fiancée!"

David looked at the enraged Raven and raised an eyebrow. Beast Boy had morphed again, copying Edward's form.

"Hope your health insurance is paid up," Terra snarled and unleashed a yell as her hands started glowing a bright yellow and her hair started flying.

"I bet you're made of rocks," Terra said. She started to unleash her powers and Rage snarled, "HE'S MINE!"

"Ladies," David said, "You might want to work together. I'll check on Dad."

Cinderblock was starting to realize that he made a big mistake as Beast Boy, Terra and the temporarily enraged Raven let loose with their attacks.

He tried to fight back, but the combined force against him was almost too much. The tide was turned when one other Titan arrived and her powers were also emotion enhanced.

Cinderblock was hit with a massive barrage of Starbolts and eye beams from Starfire who looked fit to kill.

"You hurt dear friend Edward," she snarled, "So I will hurt you!"

[Ugh!] Edward said telepathically, [What happened?]

[Gonna kill Cinderblock!] Rage replied.

[Rage,] Edward said, [Where is Raven?]

[She's out of action,] Knowledge replied, [Rage took over after you were hit.]

[Calm down, Rage,] Edward urged, [I'm all right. He stunned me, that's all.]

Edward opened his eyes and after blinking things back into focus he was stunned again. By then, Cinderblock was trying to give up and the other Titans weren't paying attention.

Edward loosed a roar to get their attention.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" he roared, eyes glowing a dangerous yellow, "He's surrendering. Rage, if you do not let Rae out, I'll knock you out. You know Rae's already given me permission to do that. Everyone else stand the hell down, NOW!"

The others knew better than to argue when Edward was annoyed, and the glow from his eyes slowly faded as they complied. Raven regained control and ran to Edward.

He morphed back and embraced her tightly, but, not as tight as Starfire usually would.

"It's OK, dear one," Edward said gently, "I'm all right." Raven shook hard as she was fighting her other emotions.

[Calm down, everyone] Edward added telepathically, [I'm not mad at you girls. It's OK, honest.]

Raven's breathing, which was ragged at first, started to smooth out in the arms of her loved one.

"Dad?" David asked, "Do the others know of your telepathy?"

"They do, son," Edward replied, "Long story, though. Let's get Cinderblock back behind bars first.

"Terra, dear? Would you do the honors?"

"Gladly," she said. Her hands glowed again and a mass of earth rose and covered Cinderblock then, compressed tightly. Cinderblock was restrained, finally.

"I wouldn't try to escape, if I were you," Edward said, "As you can see, Terra can control the very earth itself, and, that means you as well. Nod if you understand."

Cinderblock nodded and grunted.

"Stay in jail," Edward advised him, "Consider yourself lucky I'm not pressing assault charges…this time. Anger Raven like that again and we'll bury you, plain and simple."

He was still holding her somewhat protectively, but, it was more to send calming vibes.

The police showed up a few minutes later and Edward and David moved Cinderblock onto a large flatbed tow truck brought in.

"Thanks, Titans," the police sergeant said.

"You're welcome," Edward replied.

"Who is the new guy?" the cop asked.

"This is my son, David," Edward said proudly.

"Biological?"

"Yes, he's my flesh and blood," Edward replied patiently.

"Can we go now?" Raven asked, "I have to meditate."

"You folks go ahead," the police said, "We'll get Cinderblock down."

"Just hose him down," Terra said after a moment, "I've loosened the soil enough to allow water into it. It will take a while, though, as I know you guys don't want a walking pile of rocks breaking loose. Then again, if he does, I'll have to break his legs."

"I don't think he'll go anywhere, miss?"

"Terra," she said, "Glad to meet you guys."

"We're glad to have you back, Terra," the sarge said, "You make a better Titan than an apprentice for Slade."

Terra's face darkened as Beast Boy laughed nervously, "I wouldn't bring up Slade to her."

"He's right, Sarge," Edward said, "That was a bad time in my friend's life. She's trying to move on, sir."

"My apologies, Terra," he said.

"It's all right," she said after a moment, "I'll take that as a compliment." She smiled softly then.

{Thought for a second she was going to explode,] Edward said to Raven.

[I did too,] she replied, [Her anger rose for a moment, but, then, contentment as she realized the cop was complimenting her.]

David merely raised an eyebrow. He had heard the conversation, but, had been taught by his namesake and his wife not to pay attention if he overheard a conversation done via telepathy…or at least not to comment about it much.

[David can hear us, hon,] Edward said, [He'll be fine with it, though.]

[You sure?] Raven asked.

David leaned over and whispered, "He's sure, Raven. My namesake and his family were telepathic. I know to keep whatever I could overhear in strict confidence."

Raven looked at him and said, "Good. I wouldn't want to have to ship you to another dimension."

"She wouldn't, would she?" David asked.

"Yup," Edward said.

David walked away at that. He wasn't sure what to think, but, decided to stay out of the conversation.

"We might as well head back, guys," Edward said.

"Yes," Starfire said, "Boyfriend Robin was most concerned."

Edward and David morphed back to their respective dragon forms and Edward said, "Bus is leaving, whoever wants a ride back, pick their Dragon."

Raven, of course, levitated to Edward's back, Starfire landed gently behind Raven while Beast Boy and Terra opted for David. Edward raised an eyebrow and said, "We're off. Might as well fly straight back."

They took to the air as Edward assumed the lead and headed in the direction of the Tower. It would remind those who might consider wrongdoing that the Titans were still around.

**[30 minutes later]**

The team arrived back at the tower and landed on the roof. This time, the AI didn't react, meaning that Cyborg had made an adjustment to the security settings.

They went down to the ops center/common area and met Robin there.

"First off," he said, "You guys OK?"

"We're fine," Edward said.

"You took a nasty hit," Robin objected.

"Robin," Edward said, "I'm fine. He merely stunned me for a few moments. No damage done."

"Maybe to your pride?" Cyborg quipped.

"A little," Edward replied. "I was far more concerned with the rest of the team. They were ready to turn Cinderblock into a pile of gravel."

"That's the other thing I need to discuss, with all of you. David, you're welcome to stay, but, what is said here stays here, please," Robin said.

"Agreed," David said. Edward said, "He's like me there. He gives his word, it's kept."

Robin nodded and sighed, "Might as well sit down, Titans. We're stood down until noon tomorrow. Part of this is to get to know our guest better, the other is I have some concerns.

"Since Edward joined the team, I've noticed that not only has he gotten over-protective of Raven, but, that the team is over-protective of Edward in turn. I know that Edward has been stepping back more as he's realized this problem. I need the others to do the same. Watch each other's backs as we always do, but, we all hold our own in a fight and always have.

"The public has noticed this, believe me. I've been monitoring local blogs and there is a growing concern with the citizens that the team is changing and not for the better.

"Part of this is my fault, though. As you have noticed, we're no longer all going out to handle missions together, I've been assigning missions to those I felt can handle it. The public has been commenting on that and wondering if we're going soft. From here on out, we will all be going out on missions when one of the more powerful villains are causing trouble. If it's a routine thing like a bank robbery, then, I'll be continuing the practice of sending only a couple out.

"Edward, you're like a brother to all of us. Sometimes, more like a dad when you need to be. Believe me, we all love that about you as it's one of your best qualities.

"However, I am concerned about your emotional control. Not as much as before, though. I think you and Raven have worked on that very well. The public officials are happy as well as it means less Dragon caused damage to repair.

"Raven, thanks for helping your fiancée with his anger issues. It's a big help, believe me."

Robin paused to give his words time to sink in.

He continued, "Today was, I hope, the last time I will have to remind you all of the main rule: We do not kill. That's been relaxed at times. Do not expect that to continue. Edward had a point earlier and that is you wanted to reduce Cinderblock to rubble cause Edward was knocked on his ass. What message does that send if we start to eliminate the villains? We'd be no better than they are…no better than Slade.

"When I was with Batman, the rule was: No Guns, ever. Non-lethal force was drilled into my head. That's why my utility belt doesn't have lethal weapons in it."

"Friends," Edward said, "I do not enjoy being forceful with any of you unless I have to. I certainly do not like having my eyes showing my emotions towards you. Today, I was not proud to be a Titan. Not when several members were ready to destroy Cinderblock. Not when I am forced to openly threaten my own fiancée with physical harm…permission or not. I am going to come out and tell you this: Unless I am beheaded, I will survive. Getting knocked on my ass does happen! Cinderblock took advantage of a mistake and I will give him credit for doing that.

"Haven't you noticed that I only use the amount of force necessary to cope with a problem? Haven't you noticed that even my lightning breath, 99% of the time is set to non-lethal force? I've had 3000 long years to learn how to be human while still being a Dragon. I've passed as much of that as possible to David, as did his mother.

"I've intentionally pulled back. I know Rae enjoys the protective streak I've got. But, I had to remember that she could also be smothered with that and grow tired. I still have her back, as I have all of your backs. On that, y'all have my word."

"You're still willing to kill," Terra said.

"Tara," Edward said, "That's a given. I do not enjoy killing or being forced to kill. I'm snuffing out a LIFE. I'd snuffing out someone's loved one. A mother's child, someone's brother or sister, a father. No, I hate doing that. But, guess what? If there is no other choice and it's kill or be killed…or watch one of you die…especially Raven, I will use lethal force and if that means one day Robin asks me to turn in my communicator, so be it. But, let's pray that day never comes, shall we?"

Everyone nodded their heads.

"Dad?" David asked.

"Yes?" Edward replied.

"I've noticed that you're quicker to anger as well, and, as your son, that worries me," David said, "I've instances when you lose it, obviously, but, you're dealing with a major life change. You've told me about your past issues, the centuries of being alone and being forced to hide. I recall my namesake telling me about the times you, he and his alter-ego fought side by side. But, unless there was a threat to Mom, you were still pretty much in control. I know we were both hurt when Mom passed on when she did.

"I always felt that when she died, a piece of you died as well."

"I know," Edward said sadly, "Being around the guys and especially Rae have caused a personality shift. Don't ask me why, though. I couldn't tell you."

"I might have an idea," David said and walked to Terra, "With respect, Terra, your rescue might have shifted Dad's personality a bit."

"Raven," David continued, "Forgive me if this is too personal. You said that you were involved in Terra's rescue, correct?"

"I was," the empath replied, "Your dad sensed Terra's life force. It took all of us to transfer some of our life force into Terra to help her. I was told that since your dad's life force was stronger, to use more of his if necessary."

David nodded, "You needed more of dad's _chi_ then. I think that he's still recovering that. I'm no expert on that, but, dad has a friend who is more into that."

"You refer to Kwai Chang Caine?" Edward asked.

"Yes," David said.

"Wish I could ask him…He passed on a couple years ago," Edward said sadly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," David said honestly.

"I am too," Edward said, "A group of people bested him in a fight. They are sitting on death row."

"What about his master, Lo Ci?" David asked.

"Passed on in his sleep," Edward replied, "I made sure he was buried in his ancestral plot along with his wife."

The conversation lasted another hour and was actually lighter in tone. Robin had said his peace calmly and as time passed, it was getting time for dinner.

Raven and Edward teamed up, as they usually did and whipped up a good short order meal. In fact, Edward allowed Raven to do most of the meal. She had come a long way since that pancake disaster and the team was no longer wondering if they would end up sickened.

After dinner, the team settled in to watch some movies for a while. However, David indicated that he was getting sleepy around 10 PM and Robin showed him to the last of the guest quarters before Edward piped up and said, "Let my son use my office, if he'd like."

"You sure, dad?" David said.

"It still has a bedroom and a stocked fridge, sure!" Edward said.

"Lead on," David said with a chuckle.

* * *

_Couple of quickie notes here:_

_First is that while I mention several characters from "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues", obviously they will not be appearing.  
_

_Next chapter will be more Blackfire focused, though. That I will be working on this coming week, so, stay tuned.  
_

_Upcoming story idea might focus more on Terra and give her some background. ArizonaHawk711 gave me that idea and it seemed pretty good. Now, the question is do I stick with the canon background story, make up a totally different background or a combination of canon/non-canon. Canon here refers to the comics as the series barely touched her back story except to show that Terra was not only having trouble with her powers, but, self-esteem issues and some other mental instability, which I did carry over to how I portray Terra.  
_

_I'm also toying with a sequel to Trouble in Tokyo. Both Star and Edward speak Japanese, so, that's not a huge problem.  
_

_So many directions to choose from!  
_


	4. Blackfire's plans are set in motion

**Chapter 4  
[Gordania]**

Blackfire had wasted little time in putting her plan into action. Lobo would be the unwitting fall guy to draw the Justice League away from Earth and before the League would realize that they were on a wild goose chase, the Gordanians would already be in orbit. Earth lacked the weapons to defeat their ships and their orders were simple enough: Capture Koriand'r and return to Tamaran where Galfore would be forced to abdicate the throne or he'd watch Koriand'r die a slow painful death. If the others got in the way…They were to be killed. Blackfire wasn't going to let the Titans interfere again.

It took some time to get the ship and crew ready. Blackfire could taste victory and was thinking that it would be pretty easy. Get the blasted Justice League away from Earth on a fool's errand, then, make sure that the Titans were kept occupied while Starfire was captured. They had to be sure that the more dangerous members of the team were neutralized somehow as well. Blackfire figured that some of the special weapons they were bringing would keep Edward at bay along with Terra and possibly Raven as well. They weren't concerned with Cyborg as his weapons would be no match, Robin wasn't even endowed with super powers and Beast Boy could be handled.

Blackfire needed to convince the Grand Centauri Empire to contact the Justice League for assistance in catching the unwitting scapegoat. She knew that Lobo was extremely powerful and didn't play well with others as a result. "The Main Man" as he styled himself would put up one major fight, especially to defend his innocence.

Blackfire had someone hack into the main Grand Centauri Empire main computers and plant a phony arrest warrant for Lobo, charging him with theft.

Then, she had someone else contact the Empire's law enforcers with a tip that a wanted criminal was on the fringes of their space.

That part of the plan would take a while as their security forces would have to spread out and converge on Lobo's location. Then, Blackfire knew that Lobo would probably trash those guys, forcing them to call for the Justice League.

As soon as the League was dispatched, the fleet would depart at faster than light speed. One, would be to avoid detection by the League members who would stay behind until it was too late to do anything at all. They would have to be careful to ensure that any ripples caused in the fabric of space were not detectable.

Another minor problem would be Earth's military, but, they only had projectile weapons, and they would not penetrate the shields.

One thing they did change in their shields was to try to block the gray girl's teleportation. After their previous attempt to recapture Starfire failed, they studied how to prevent that other girl's way of getting aboard their ship.

They were even trying to study how the other member of the Titans teleported and were somewhat stumped as they didn't have any direct data.

The commander feared, though, that Blackfire was not taking the potential threat Edward posed seriously enough. If seriously provoked, Edward could potentially destroy their command ship. The commander was actually impressed as he saw that Edward could hold his own in a fight. He recognized that Edward is a true warrior. Blackfire had to be made aware of that. Then again, both sisters were warriors. Starfire would not come along peacefully. She'd have to be "convinced" to give herself up.

The commander was aware, via the information passed along by loyal spies on Earth that Edward was also a shapeshifter and, unlike Beast Boy, Edward could assume a different humanoid form. That would make things interesting. If they didn't capture Starfire immediately, Starfire could be hidden and they'd capture Edward instead if he shapeshifted to her form. But, he couldn't make his internal scans mimic Starfire and he certainly did not have a Tamaranian's abilities. That also worried the commander.

His musings were interrupted by a summons to see Blackfire and he went to her chambers to see what she needed.

"You summoned me, my lady?" he asked.

"It's been 72 Earth hours," she said coldly, "Are the plans ready?"

"We're as ready as we will be," he said, "We have a lock on Lobo and the enforcers are searching for him as we speak.

"We are going to lure Lobo into their territory shortly. He's a bounty hunter and we're going to give him a bounty he'll want to claim. Word has it there's a brilliant and rare gemstone a collector wants and is willing to pay a king's ransom for it."

"That will attract other bounty hunters, correct?" Blackfire asked.

"It will, but, Lobo is the closest one. The lure of a half billion credits will certainly get his interest."

"Yeah, and every bounty hunter within half a parsec," Blackfire said. She thought for a moment and smiled, "Perfect. The more bounty hunters the more confusing the situation becomes."

The commander has his own doubts. He felt that if there were a lot of bounty hunters clamoring for the same thing that really wouldn't exist, there would be a bounty on his head as well as Blackfire.

But, Blackfire did not see things that way. She wanted her crown back and revenge on Starfire.

"Send the message offering the bounty," Blackfire ordered.

"By your command," the commander said and looked like he was wanting to go follow that order.

"You're dismissed," Blackfire said.

The commander saluted, turned and left.

Within the hour, a message was being broadcast, after being routed through 20 different radio relays to mask its point of origin.

"Attention: A 500,000,000 credit REWARD is being offered to the first being that recovers the Stone of Praxis, in the Grand Centauri System. Bring the Stone to The Citadel within 2 standard months. "

**[Edge of the Grand Centauri Empire]**

The message came across as clear text to Lobo's space cycle as he was enjoying what passed for vodka.

His eyes bugged out and he raced out of the bar saying, "Time for the Main Man to get rich and retire happy."

A few patrons were unfortunate to be in his way and were bowled over as a result.

Watch where you are going! one yelled in his native language.

Lobo paid it no mind. He was on a mission and no one was going to stop "The Main Man."

**[Police HQ – Grand Centauri]**

The falsified warrant for Lobo's arrest had gone out several days prior and had just been "verified" as official.

So, at the morning video briefing, the captain got on the screen and said, "Today's warrants include apprehending the bounty hunter known as Lobo. He's accused of theft and fraud. He's rumored to be near the fringes of our space and possibly on a bounty hunt.

"Approach with caution as he is extremely powerful. Consider him armed and dangerous. Wait until he enters the Empire…and take him down."

One of the officers signaled for attention and was recognized.

"Isn't Lobo almost as powerful as Kal-El, though?" he asked.

"Good observation, Officer," the captain replied, "Lobo is almost as strong as the last Kryptonian, and certainly stronger than the Tamaranians. If you spot him, call for backup immediately! We will be contacting the Justice League for assistance should the need arise."

Little did the captain know: The officer who asked the question was what the Earthlings called a "dirty cop". He had been paid a decent amount of credits to merely provide information to a "cutout". He secreted his information and set a flag to let his handler know.

Then, the package was delivered to several others before landing in the hands of: Blackfire.

**[Several days later]**

Blackfire waited to see if the cops had taken the bait. Her contacts already reported that Lobo was already within the Grand Centauri Empire and she had a coded message sent out: "Lure in the Justice League at your earliest opportunity."

That was sent via her spies to the one officer that was willing to do the job.

As soon as he got the go-ahead, he opened up a communications channel directed at Earth.

"Grand Centauri Empire to Justice League of Earth," he said, "We need your help. The interstellar bandit named Lobo has been accused of theft and destruction of Empire property. We request the aid of Kal-El, the one known as the Martian Manhunter and the Green Lantern. We will accept the aid of others as well."

It would take a little while for the message to arrive…

**[Back at the Tower]**

While all this was going on, though, the Titans were getting to know David better and Robin eventually decided to offer David an honorary Titan status.

He took the offered communicator, mainly as it would help him keep in touch.

"I'm honored," David said, pocketing the device, "This is encrypted?"

"Sure is!" Cyborg said, "It uses a 8192 bit cipher. It doesn't get much stronger than that. The main communications panel can be non-secured or secured, as needed."

David nodded, "Impressive. Most encryption routines use a 2048 or 4096 bit cipher."

"We've had problems with our communicators being hacked," Robin explained, "This will keep hackers out of the system when we're away."

"How long would it take someone to break the code?" David asked.

The AI replied, "About 200 years, even if using a computer that can compute in the petaflop range. However, the cipher key is regenerated daily, and, can be set to a higher refresh rate, preventing any further successful attempts."

David whistled, "Damn."

Edward looked at David for a moment and shrugged.

"So," Edward said, "Who is up for some tacos tonight for dinner?"

Edward got a rousing response there. But, before he could move, the communications board lit up.

Terra went to get the call and said, "Titans Tower."

Batman appeared on the screen, "Hello, Terra."

"What's shaking, Batman?" she said with a smile.

"The League's been called off planet for a while. We've received a request for help in capturing Lobo," he said.

"Lobo?" Edward asked, coming into view.

"He's an interstellar bounty hunter," Batman replied, "The Grand Centauri Empire has at least one arrest warrant out for him."

"And, it'll take the League to handle him?" Edward asked.

Superman came into view and said, "He's almost as strong as I am and almost impervious to injury. It's going to take the League's stronger members to take him down."

"Do you need any additional help?" Robin asked.

"We got it," Superman said, "Thanks for the offer, though."

"How long do you think you'll be gone?" Edward asked.

"We're leaving in a couple of hours, but, I will be staying behind," Batman said. Edward understood why. Batman was the only non-meta enhanced or alien on the team.

The conversation lasted several more minutes before the League had to depart. They had a long journey ahead of them and what they didn't know is that as soon as they left, Blackfire's small fleet would depart at hyperspace speeds. With luck, they'd be in and out of the Sol system with their prize before the Justice League and the Grand Centauri folks caught on.

* * *

_Thanks for waiting, folks. Not much to relay on a personal type note this time around._

_I'm not sure how involved Lobo and the League will be after this point, but, if I understand Lobo well enough. he's not going to take being hunted and/or duped lying down.  
_

_The previous stories have focused somewhat on Edward's being protective of Raven. But, as mentioned earlier (and in "Titans V. Slade") we've seen how protective Edward can be of Terra...and by logical extension the others on the team. Blackfire's going to find out what it means when a member of Edward's extended family is kidnapped. Edward's son will have more to do. Luckily, he won't be missed at the firm he works for. I haven't decided that, but could it be Wayne Enterprises? Maybe he's a lawyer? Or a doctor? Or maybe a cop somewhere? Could be even be a reporter with the Daily Planet's Chicago location? That one, I'll take votes on until I post Chapter 5._

_Side note to ArizonaHawk...Thanks for the advice. I will be developing that one. I can place it, timewise, before this story. I'm pondering bringing in Geo-Force (if you've read the comics...he's Tara Markov's brother with the same abilities.) Let me know when/if you can exchange PMs, please. There's absolutely zero pressure to do this as I understand the reason(s).  
_

_A possible thought...starting an Edward and the Titans Community on FF. If started, would you folks be interested in joining...That could eliminate my "begging" for folks to fill out the box below.  
_

_Next chapter...The attempt to capture Starfire!  
_

_BTW...I know I'm playing fast and loose with the laws of physics here a bit. I'm using that as a plot device and to keep you folks from getting bored.  
_

_Finally...I am aware that the previous story "Recovery" was a lot to absorb in one sitting and the stats reflected that for a while. You should see the original draft for the first story...The chapters were a bit longer and out of consideration for you, the readers, that's why it's 18 chapters :)  
_

_TTFN...and, please read/review.  
_


	5. Prelude to Invasion

**Chapter 5  
[A week later – Blackfire's command ship]**

The Justice league had indeed gone to assist the Grand Centauri Empire in capturing Lobo and Blackfire couldn't be happier.

"Well, Glgrdsklechhh," she said to her husband, "our plans are proceeding nicely. Those fools in the Justice League bought our little story. Lobo's being chased all through the Grand Centauri Empire and every bounty hunter in this quadrant have gummed up the works all around."

Glgrdsklechhh made some noises and appeared to be pleased.

"You should be happy, dear husband," Blackfire replied, "I've waited too long for this. Starfire put me in a Grand Centauri prison, then, banished me from not only my rightful place as ruler of Tamaran, but, exiled me. UGH!"

However, Glgrdsklechhh was also concerned. He knew Blackfire was only married to him for convenience, not for true love. He had been hurt when Starfire stood him up at the altar, but, he understood why as well. So, he made a deal with Blackfire: Marry him in place of Starfire and Tamaran would not be invaded for real by his forces. Blackfire only agreed when she reserved the right to invade her home planet.

Glgrdsklechhh was somewhat aware of the new Titan members, but, it was all rumor to him, so, he paid it no mind.

During his musings, the ship's captain knocked and was granted entry.

He bowed towards Blackfire and said, "Milady, sensors have picked up the vessel from Earth. We've halted for now to engage our cloaking device. We must wait here until they have gone passed us."

"How long will that be?" Blackfire asked.

"No more than one solar hour," he said.

"We're on radio silence, correct?" Blackfire asked.

"We are," he replied, "The other ships know to maintain the blackout for as long as necessary. They are waiting to break away and head for Tamaran."

That was part of Blackfire's plan. If Starfire would not come willingly … or her friends put up a fight, the rest of the fleet would begin to bombard Tamaran itself, forcing Starfire's hand.

"Excellent!" Blackfire cheered. She pulled up the sensor readings and, sure enough, there was one other ship, heading the opposite direction.

She hit a few keys and put the sensors into a passive mode. She wasn't taking any chances.

**[Justice League Spaceship]**

"That's odd," Wonder Woman said.

"What's that?" Green Lantern asked.

"For a moment, I thought we were being scanned, but, it's gone now," she said.

"Did you get a bearing on the source?" Green Lantern asked.

"I'm afraid not, it only lasted for a second and was gone," Diana mused.

"We'll check it out later," Superman said. They had a potentially dangerous bounty hunter to capture, after all. A weird reading could wait, right?

**[Titan Tower]**

David had returned home to Chicago a day after he arrived as his business needed him at the helm for some important deals, but, was told by Robin that he was welcome to visit whenever he wanted as thanks for helping take Cinderblock down again.

Edward seconded that and gave his son the engraved invitation to his wedding to one Rachel Roth AKA Raven. As Raven's only known relative also lived at the Tower, she had no qualms letting Bruce Wayne use her real name in the wedding invitations.

The team had taken the time to relax, and, to train more. Robin did not believe in letting the grass grow under his feet, so, the team was training hard.

Jericho was quickly developing into a top notch fighter as he didn't want to always rely on his ability to possess other people's bodies. He might have looked young, but, that didn't matter.

Raven and Terra would spar against each other at times and they played off each other's strengths a lot better.

At first, Edward was worried that they would have a repeat of their first sparring session, but, as he watched, those worries were put to rest fairly quickly. Both women were holding back on the use of their abilities as much as possible the first day. Edward made a mental note about that.

Today's sparring session was Edward and Cyborg facing off.

"Don't hold back, Vic," Edward said.

"I don't plan to," Cyborg said, "Bring it on."

"How about a friendly wager?" Edward asked.

"It's not gonna involve nuclear wings, will it?" Cyborg asked.

"Nope," Edward replied, "I'll play this one even…meaning I stay in human form. Winner buys dinner for the team for a week, the loser has to do the dishes for a week…by hand."

"That's not much of a bet," Raven deadpanned, "We already know who the winner is going to be anyway."

"Sister Raven," Starfire said, "Remember I defeated friend Edward before in the match of sparring."

"She's right, Raven," Robin said, "Edward can be defeated in an even fight. But, assuming that Edward does beat Cyborg, he usually buys the food for the team anyway. I say that if Edward wins, he treats the team to dinner for 8 nights. Each of us will get to pick the place nightly. If Edward loses, then, Cyborg can tell Edward what he will be doing for 8 days and Edward doesn't grouse about it."

Edward considered it and nodded, "I'm game if Cyborg is."

Cyborg held out his hand, "You're on, Fire Boy."

Edward took the extended hand and said, "Fire Boy, eh? Watch it, circuits for brains."

"Titans, go!" Robin said with a grin.

Edward gave Cyborg a hard push, staggering him for a second. Both men then grappled for several moments, trying to get the advantage. However hard Cyborg would push, Edward would push back. Oh, Edward could have won that part, but, he wanted to play as even as possible.

Edward applied more pressure and Cyborg let out a groan trying to push back. Then, Cyborg got an idea and quickly dropped down, throwing Edward off-balance. Then, Edward ended up with his strength turned against him as Cyborg used the momentum to propel Edward halfway across the training field. Edward landed with a thud as the other Titans winced.

[You OK?] Raven asked.

[Just peachy,] Edward replied as he got up.

Edward saw that Cyborg had armed his sonic cannon and dove out of the way as it fired.

[He calls that playing even?] Edward groused.

[You said that you'd stay in your human form, dear,] Raven consoled, [You didn't say that Cyborg couldn't bring his weapons into play.]

[I was going to let him win, but, now I'm not so sure,] Edward said.

[Well, look on the bright side: You win and when it's Beast Boy's turn to select, you know that it's a vegetarian place he'll select,] Raven said, adding a giggle to the end.

Edward smiled, "Good one, Cyborg! Just remember what happens if I win. It would become BB's turn at some point to select and I hear the Tofu Palace is a pretty good place."

"What?" Cyborg said, "You have got to be kidding! You're so beaten, Dragon!"

Edward had memorized Cyborg's designs and realized that he had a bunch of weak points. There were a few minor design flaws that Edward would exploit that wouldn't cause lasting harm to ole Victor.

"Bring it on, Tin Man. Or you still feeling the effects of Gizmo farting on you," Edward playfully taunted.

Cyborg charged Edward and just as they were about to collide, Edward exploited a weakness to temporarily knock his sonic cannons out of commission by throwing Cyborg around and hitting him in the back.

"Yo!" he yelled, "You took out my cannons."

"Well, shure nuff," Edward drawled, "I sure did. I'm playing this one even and making sure that you do the same. We'll fix those soon as I'm done.

"It was either that or break the agreement."

Cyborg sighed. He wheeled around and let his fists fly. Edward was caught off guard for a moment, but, his training from his Shaolin friends came back and he started blocking the fists, then, gave Cyborg a kick to put some distance between them.

They sparred for a good 15 more minutes, no one really getting an advantage until Cyborg made a mistake and Edward took advantage and locked Cyborg into a rear naked choke.

"You wanna tap out?" Edward said.

"Over my dead body!" Cyborg said, "I'm not eating any tofu!"

"You know it won't kill you?" Edward said, applying a little more pressure.

"I don't care!" Cyborg gasped, "I'll never live it down."

"Suit yourself," Edward said and _really_ applied the pressure.

"Match is over!" Robin called out, "Edward wins by TKO."

Edward released the hold and helped Cyborg to his feet.

"Man," Cyborg groused, "I could have beaten that hold."

"Not without sustaining system damage, though," Edward said, "Turn around, I'll fix your cannons."

Cyborg muttered something under his breath but, turned around. A moment later, Edward reattached the loosened control chip and Cyborg's cannons were back on.

"Good as new," Edward said, "We'll figure out a way to harden this area, though."

"I don't even know how you knew about that," Cyborg remarked.

"Ancient Chinese Secret," Edward said.

"Yeah, right, and I know Sanskrit," Cyborg jabbed.

Little does he know, Edward said in Sanskrit, This is one of my favorite languages!

Same here, Raven replied.

Edward raised an eyebrow, "You speak Sanskrit?"

"Along with a few other language, yeah," Raven said, "Too bad I don't know Japanese, though."

"It's a difficult language to learn," Edward said.

"Starfire knows how to speak it," Beast Boy piped up.

"You do, Starfire?" Edward asked.

I do, friend Edward, Star replied in Japanese.

How did you learn it? Edward asked.

Starfire answered with a very quick kiss.

"You learn languages by kissing?" Edward asked.

"Yes," she replied, "It usually takes a longer kiss to fully learn the language."

"Sorry, Robin," Edward apologized.

"It's OK," Robin said, "I don't mind that, seeing we're teammates."

"Rob tends to get jealous," Cyborg said.

"I don't blame him," Edward said, "You don't need to see me on a jealous streak…or Raven for that matter."

"We've seen her jealous," Terra said, "She was jealous of me."

"I'm not anymore," Raven said, "But, yeah, I'll admit I was jealous of you. At the time, I had hidden feelings for Beast Boy. He had provided a caring shoulder to lean on after Malchior and I thought you were going to take him away."

"I did take him away, though," Terra said, "I'm sorry if I hurt you in the process."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Raven said, "I allowed that. Edward talked some sense into me and BB as well. Beast Boy couldn't have loved you or me in a romantic sense. He realized that right away and said…"

"Love one for love's sake and love the other as a sister," Edward said, finishing Raven's thought.

"I didn't need empathic skills here to see what was going on," he continued, "Without revealing too much, I hope, both Rae and BB had come to me with the same basic issue. And, I gave them the same basic advice. At the time, my friendship with you folks was just starting. Tara, we freed you the day after I met the other Titans, so, I was the best and most neutral person they could turn to. I could tell that Garfield was having a crisis. He loves both you gals, a lot. I can still sense an echo of what he felt for Raven once in a blue moon, but, both have settled into the brother-sister relationship just fine. I don't sense any remaining jealousy from Raven towards Terra."

Edward would have continued on, but the alert system interrupted their musings.

The team raced into the Tower and into the Ops Center.

Robin typed in commands and the AI responded verbally, "Long range scanners relayed via the WatchTower indicate that there is an incoming Gordanian force. This force consists of three large vessels and will be entering Earth orbit in six hours, 45 minutes."

"Are these warships?" Robin asked.

"Affirmative," the AI responded, "According to my data, these are Gordanian heavy cruisers."

Starfire's face went white, "No…"

"Kori?" Edward asked, picking up on Star's distress, "You OK?"

"I am not," she replied, "They are coming for me, I fear."

"Over my dead body!" Robin said.

"Got that right," Edward said, "I'm not going to stand by and watch you be taken into slavery! No chance in HELL that's gonna happen! Not on my watch!"

The team didn't know it, but, in the distant past, Edward was forced to kill several slavers in ancient Greece. He always felt that man was meant to be free, not owned nor beaten as forced labor. He made an exception when a court would determine that as part of a fair and just sentence, but, true involuntary servitude, he would not tolerate.

His eyes started glowing a dangerous yellow then.

[Easy, my love,] Raven said via the link.

[No one is going to take Starfire into slavery! I WON'T ALLOW IT!] Edward snarled.

[It's OK…we have Star's back. All of us, dear. That's how we all met. Starfire was being chased by these idiots and they threatened to destroy the city if we didn't hand her over. We destroyed their ship,] Raven said calmly. Her sense of calm started to seep into Edward's sudden anger and his eyes returned to normal.

"Yo, dawg!" Cyborg said, "We didn't hand Starfire over then, and we aren't going to do it now."

"The team's stronger than it was before," Robin noted, "With the recent additions, we can protect Starfire and the planet. Edward, can you get your son back here?"

"Damn straight David will help," Edward said, "We may need other Titans as well."

"Not my kids," Raven said.

"Agreed, hon," Edward said, "They are too young for this type of action."

"What about Kole?" Cyborg asked.

"Call her and Gnarrk," Robin ordered, "Get the Titans East as well. Heck, get the HIVE Five if we have to."

[Must be serious if Robin's willing to ally with enemies,] Edward said.

Raven merely nodded.

Edward got on the comms board and called his son first.

"Dad," he said, "What's wrong? I can feel your agitation from here."

"We have a problem, son," Edward said, "There's an interstellar threat inbound to Earth. It's probably to try to recapture Starfire."

David paled. He knew what his dad was like around slave traders/bounty hunters.

"I'll let my COO know he's in charge, Dad. I'll be there within the hour," he said.

"Thanks, son," Edward said and disconnected.

"Taught him right," Robin said.

"Damn straight!" Edward said with a smile, "Paula, his namesake and the rest of us made sure of that. He knows I wouldn't call him for backup unless it was necessary."

He punched up Kole's communicator next.

"Hi, Edward," she said a moment later.

"Hi, Kole," he replied, "I don't have time to explain much, but, we need your help."

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Short version…interstellar invasion. We could use your abilities," Robin said.

Kole looked off screen as Gnarrk was heard in the background.

"Gnarrk is worried," Kole said.

Cyborg said, "We're worried as well. They are coming to re-claim Starfire, we think."

"Not good," Kole said, "We're in."

"I'll come get you, then," Edward said, "Be ready. Don't worry about bringing anything. I'll get you whatever you and Gnarrk will need."

Edward stood up and said, "Please get hold of Batman, if he's in the WatchTower, please have him get the Titans East."

"I'll get them," Raven said.

Edward smiled, "Be safe, my dear."

Edward headed for the roof and saw David teleporting in. He waited until David landed and morphed back to his human form.

They embraced for a moment and Edward said, "Head to the Ops Center, son. I have to go pick up some allies. Rae's getting our expansion team from Steel City. Robin will brief you on what's happening, but, I shouldn't be gone too long."

"OK, Pop," David said and headed downstairs.

Edward morphed into his mini-Dragon form and took to the air. A moment later, there was a blue glow and Edward was gone.

**[Kole's Tropical Paradise]**

Edward arrived at Kole's place a few moments later and landed.

Kole and Gnarrk came out to greet their friend.

"Forgive me, but, I think only Kole should come with me. What's coming could paralyze Gnaark with fear, just like the rest of the population," Edward said kindly.

"Gnarrk!"

"I can't leave without Gnarrk," Kole said, "He's braver than you think."

Edward replied, "Well, it was a thought. Hop on."

Kole and Gnarrk got on. Edward took to the air and teleported back to the Tower.

**[Tower]**

Edward landed on the roof and the AI recognized the fact.

They headed downstairs and arrived at the Ops Center.

Rae had brought the Titans East over as well. They sat down and Robin introduced Edward to the newer team.

"Hola, Señor Eduardo," Mas y Menos said at the same time, "Como estas?"

"Muy bein," Edward replied in kind, "¿Habla inglish?"

"They do," Bumble Bee replied, "They prefer Spanish to speak, though."

"Not a problem," Edward replied, "Spanish is one of my primary languages, so, I can understand them in their native dialect."

He turned towards the twin speedsters and switched to Spanish, "¿Would you prefer me to translate what we need to discuss?"

"Sí," they said, "¡We would like that very much!"

"The floor is yours, Robin," Edward said in English.

Robin began with a brief history of the problem they faced. As Robin talked, Edward translated for the twins.

**[An hour later]**

Robin wrapped up his briefing and a game plan was formulated. It would be a difficult fight, though.

"How strong are these people?" Jinx wanted to know.

"They are most strong," Starfire said, "They are stronger than most of my people."

"I'm more concerned with their beam weapons," Edward mused, "If these are light based, I can reflect them back with my scales. So can David."

Kole had ended up getting a seat next to Edward's son and had the situation not been so dire, Edward thought that they might make an interesting couple.

"How powerful is their ship's main weapon?" David asked.

"It'll destroy Jump City," Starfire said.

"Military intervention?" Kid Flash asked.

"Their weapons are far more advanced than what we have," Robin said, "They would be killed."

"Do they have any deflector shields?" Edward asked.

"They do," Starfire replied, "Their shields of deflection would have to be destroyed somehow."

"Leave that to me or David, then," Edward said, "If we can teleport inside their shields, we can probably punch through their hull. They'd have to keep their hull light, I suspect. The amount of energy it would take to move those ships in a gravity well would be troublesome at best. If the hull was thicker than a couple of inches, thay might have a hard time in the planet's atmosphere."

"They have anti-gravity," Cyborg said, "That keeps the ships in the air."

Edward thought about it and replied, "That is a double edged sword, I hope. If we…"

The AI interrupted, "We're getting a signal from the WatchTower."

Robin said, "On the main screen."

Batman appeared and said, "Greetings Titans. I see that you already are aware of the problem. I've recalled the rest of the League, but, they will not be back in time. I'll hold them off as long as possible. But, I do not expect the WatchTower to withstand a prolonged conflict."

"Has there been any attempts to communicate with them?" Robin asked.

"They are ignoring our hails," Batman said, "They are still outside of weapons range as well. That will change within the next hour, though."

"There's time to get you off the station, if need be," Robin said.

"Wish we could be sure of what they want," Batman replied, "Don't worry about me, Robin. The WatchTower's already been remotely programmed, so, it will start mounting a defense should it be fired on. It's unmanned right now, so, chances are that it might be ignored regardless."

"Sounds good," Robin said. They signed off a moment later.

"Nothing to do now but wait," Edward said wistfully.

"Yeah," Cyborg said, "The Tower's defenses are locked and loaded for bear."

The wait would not be a long one.

* * *

_Well, this is getting interesting. I hadn't planned on bringing the Titans East into this originally. Same with Kole and Gnaark, but, as I was writing this chapter, I realized that they were needed as well. I thought about the kids/Bobby, but, I remembered the big fight at the end of "Titans Together" and Raven saying "All right, just stay away from anyone older than you."_

_Read and review, please.  
_


	6. Titans head out!

**Chapter 6  
[Jupiter]**

Blackfire's mini-fleet had arrived in the Sol system on schedule. The Justice League was probably in the Grand Centauri Empire or close to it by now and well, even though they intercepted Batman's recall, they knew that it would take time for them to return. Plenty of time for them to either capture Starfire or convince her to return to Tamaran on her own, they figured.

"Princess?" the commander said, "We're getting word from Earth that they are preparing defenses. Somehow, we've lost the element of surprise."

"It's of no matter," Blackfire said, "Their weapons cannot penetrate our shields anyway."

"What of the Titans?" he asked.

"What of them?" she replied.

"Our sources are telling us that they may be calling in reinforcements of their own. Another dragon like creature was spotted landing on the roof, then, Barnes disappeared for five of their minutes and returned with a young girl and another man."

"We have the weapons, do we not?" Blackfire said.

"We do, milady," he said.

"And the rest of the fleet?" she asked.

"Approaching Tamaran," he replied, "They will arrive in two solar hours."

"That means their defense network is also seeing the fleet. Hold position here until they arrive. Have them send a small invasion force and take over one of the smaller cities, if possible. I want that old fool to know he's got a problem on his hands."

"As you command," the commander said and left to send the message. It was a sign of respect that Blackfire allowed him to depart before being dismissed. Anyone else would have been punished on the spot.

**[Tamaran****]**

Galfore had been sitting on his throne, thinking about affairs of state as well as his little Starfire. Little was the operative word as Galfore was huge, as all males on the planet. He was easily 10 feet tall by human standards and weighed close to 400 pounds – all muscle. He was a just and fair ruler of his people, having seen his share of battle, as evidenced by the scar that ran down the left side of his face, a scar that also claimed his left eye.

He was interrupted by a harried looking messenger, though.

"My king!" the man said, bowing low, "We have reports of a large fleet approaching our planet."

"Do we know what kind of ships?" Galfore asked.

"They appear to be Gordanian, sire," the man said.

"Wonderful!" Galfore groused, "Just wonderful. How long until they get here?"

"Two hours, sire," the messenger said.

"And they got tactical surprise as well," Galfore said, "Muster every able bodied warrior and those on reserve status, immediately. If they refuse, inform them that they and their families will face immediate exile."

"By your command," the man said and rose.

"You have my leave," Galfore said and the man hurried out of the room.

Galfore sighed and went to his communications room. He hit several buttons and waited.

**[Titan Tower}**

The communications board lit up and a chime was heard.

"I'll get it," Edward said.

He went over and hit a few keys and was surprised to see a hulking man there.

"Titans Tower," Edward said.

The other man spoke in Tamaranian and that prompted Edward to motion to Starfire.

"Just a moment," Edward said in Tamaranian, "Koriand'r is coming."

"You speak my language?" Galfore asked.

"I do," Edward said, "Koriand'r speaks it here at times and I was able to learn it, your Highness."

He had figured out that this was Galfore.

Starfire beamed when she saw Galfore and took Edward's place.

They exchanged greetings and as Galfore spoke, Starfire's face fell.

"They are approaching Earth as well," Starfire said.

Edward's face also fell as he was the only other one that could understand her native language.

"We have a bigger problem, guys," Edward said, "They are also about to invade Starfire's home."

"We can't be in two places at once," Robin said, "The WatchTower can only fight a holding action and if that's destroyed, the base of the Justice League is gone. It's also the most advanced defensive weapons platform as well. Nothing we have militarily can stop them."

"This is too weird, Pop," David said, "Why would there be two invasion forces? What is their goal?"

"No idea, yet, son," Edward said.

[Earth and Tamaran at the same time?] he asked Raven.

[It makes sense,] she replied, [This is pointing towards Blackfire being involved.]

[Starfire's sister, right?] Edward asked.

[Yes,] she responded, [My question is this: First Malchior wants revenge, then, Slade tries for Terra, and Trigon makes another move. Everyone's coming back to try their luck for some reason. Why?]

[Beats me,] Edward replied.

There wasn't time to meditate on the problem as Robin had to make a choice: Keep the teams together or split them up to try to defend two worlds.

Starfire ended her discussion with her beloved k'norfka and walked over to Robin. Everyone could tell she was saddened by this turn of events.

"I must return to Tamaran," she said without preamble, "While I call Earth my home, Galfore reminded me that as I am still a princess, my duty requires me to be there now."

"Star," Raven said, "I have a feeling that Blackfire is somehow involved. I bet if we all went with you, this fleet would suddenly give chase."

"I can't ask you to come with me this time," Starfire said.

Robin stood up and said, "You don't have to ask, Star. Family sticks together. The team went with you before, and, we'll go with you again."

Starfire looked at the other members and everyone nodded. Even David nodded his agreement.

"The T-Ship can't hold everyone, though," Cyborg said.

"It may not have to, Cyborg," Edward said, "If Rae's theory is correct, we'll lure this fleet away from Earth once they see that their target is making a run for it."

Robin thought about this for several long moments before speaking, "This is a risky plan, but, if it works, the planet can rest easier. This will take our strongest members: Edward, Raven, Star, Terra, Cyborg and, if he wants to go, David. If not, Beast Boy can go."

"I'll stay and help coordinate from here," David said, "I don't want to break up the couples."

"I'm staying," Robin said, "So that means that one couple is already being split up. Sadly, this is one time when even my skill might not be good enough."

"Warning!" the AI said, "Long range sensors have determined that the invasion fleet is moving."

"Let's move!" Cyborg said.

The ones selected for the mission raced to the underground hanger and did the quick launch checklist.

They were taking off 5 minutes later and heading into orbit.

"Let's see what she's got," Cyborg said. He was in the center seat and punched in a command. A second later, the T-Ship was speeding up and pointing in an upwards position. The altimeter was still climbing higher and higher. It was climbing at a rate similar to the recently decommissioned Space Shuttle fleet and within 10 minutes, they were in a low Earth Orbit. The HUDs changed from ground based to spaceflight.

"Awesome view!" Edward said with a smile as they sped across the USA. He'd seen the pictures beamed from space, but, he was in awe of how pretty his home world really was.

"That it is," Terra said. It was her first time off-planet as well.

"Plotting a course," Cyborg said, "That fleet is coming fast and we need to get their attention. It looks like they are going to try to come through the asteroid belt, and, that might slow them down."

"It will not," Starfire said, "Their ships will not be affected by the rocks."

"Can we get close enough for my powers to work?" Terra asked.

"Our intercept will take place near Mars' orbit. It won't be close enough, Terra," Cyborg said, "We only have to draw their attention and they should follow."

They broke orbit a few moments later and headed away from Earth. As the gravity weakened, the T-Ship increased its speed until Cyborg stopped the engines. They were coasting past the moon a short while later and Cyborg opted to use the lunar gravity as a slingshot.

"Computer, plot an intercept course. Make it so that we pass within 500 miles," Cyborg said.

"Plotting course," the AI said.

A moment later, the T-Ship made a course correction as the AI took over.

"The ETA will be 4 hours, 25 minutes from now," the AI said.

**[Blackfire's command vessel – **_**Glory to X'hal**_**]**

Blackfire had settled into her chair on the bridge of the _Glory of X'Hal_, and looked at the medium range scanners. They were able to reach the Earth's moon already. As Blackfire, she was curious about the fast moving contact.

At first, this contact appeared to come close to the lunar surface and Blackfire was puzzled to see the contact not only missing the lunar surface, but it sped up. She figured that the object had approached the moon at the right angle to slingshot away.

What got her out of her was that a few minutes later, the object changed course!

"What is that?" she asked, "It has to be something made by those weak Earthlings! Plot its course, Commander."

A moment later, "It's heading for us. Milady."

"Can we scan to see if this is manmade or not?" she said.

"No, Milady," he said, "it has to get within 500 miles of us to get a low res scan. Within 10, though, if this is a space vehicle, we can get a high res scan. High enough to almost see if they have hair."

"Let's meet this object, then," Blackfire said.

"By your command," the commander said, "Helm, increase speed to .90 of lightspeed."

"At that speed, I cannot guarantee that we would not hit an asteroid," the helmsman said.

"Do it," Blackfire said, "Or would you rather be teleported to one of them?"

"Plotting safest course," he said and hit the sequence of buttons to increase the ship's speed.

The communication operator said, "Begging your pardon, Milady. We're picking up a signal from our operatives in the Grand Centauri Empire.

"Let's hear it," Blackfire said sweetly.

A moment later, they saw Superman talking to one of the Government officials.

"We're sorry," he was saying, "We're going to have to turn around. There is an invasion imminent of Earth and Tamaran."

The official replied, "We understand. We'll try to keep an eye on Lobo."

"Don't bother," Superman replied.

"Why is that? He is still wanted," the official said.

"Because this smells of fraud," Superman said, "You might have a phony arrest warrant."

"A fraudulent government document? That, in itself, warrants an investigation. If this is true, we will need to locate and arrest whoever is responsible," the official replied.

"The League will cooperate in this," Superman replied.

Blackfire looked like she was going to explode, "No matter, we'll have Starfire by the time they get back."

**[3 hours later – Edge of Asteroid Belt]  
[T-Ship]**

"We're within communications range," Cyborg told the others, rousing several of the Titans from a short nap in the process. Edward blinked and saw Mars off to his right, its two tiny moons glittering in the background.

"I never thought I'd be able to see Mars," he said.

"It is a sight of beauty," Starfire said.

"Let's get on with it," Raven said. Edward smiled at that.

"Should we open a channel, though?" Edward asked.

"Considering that they sped up recently, they are suspecting something," Cyborg said.

Edward gave it some thought for several long moments. He wasn't technically in command of the mission so, he could only advise.

"How far are they away?" Edward asked.

"They are about 500,000 miles away," Cyborg said.

"I'd wait until they were 250,000 miles off and issue a general hail," Edward suggested.

"Might I make the call?" Starfire asked.

"Might not be a bad idea," Cyborg said, "If Blackfire is aboard, having you initiate the contact would get her attention."

"How long?" Beast Boy asked.

"At our current speeds, that's about 15 minutes. They have cleared the belt," Cyborg said.

"Side note," Edward said, "How does one, well, take care of personal business?"

"The T-Ship is configured to allow for 'elimination' of bodily waste," Cyborg said, "We had several near-accidents, so, I rigged my baby to take care of that. In the back of each pod, there is a personal toilet. There is a slider near the controls to darken the glass for personal privacy. Once you are done, there is a red button behind the toilet. Make sure that the lid is closed and tap it. You will hear a WHOOSH for about 5 seconds. That will remove the waste from the ship to a special receptacle."

"I assume that there are ways to relieve one of liquid waste?" Edward said.

"There are tubes for the guys and gals," Cyborg said, "If you gotta go, Edward, now is a good time."

The others chuckled.

"Laugh it up, Titans," Edward said sourly, "It's not like we had a chance to do anything before we left." He found the slider Cyborg mentioned and hit the mute switch on his intercom.

After unbuckling, he put his feet into the magnetic boots. He looked around and saw what Cyborg was talking about.

A couple moments later, he was "relieved" and hit the switch to remove the aforementioned 'liquid waste'.

[Better, dear?] Raven asked softly.

[Much!] he replied with a soft laugh.

He sat down and put his harness back on, as well as his headset. He unmuted the mic and partially undarkened the windows.

Edward looked into the heart of the solar system and even though the sun was smaller, he could see that it was still intense enough to blind even him had he not left the window half darkened.

"Simply gorgeous," he said aloud.

"It is," Starfire replied with a giggle.

Edward turned his attention to some new points of light ahead of them and asked, "That them ahead of us?"

"That's them," Cyborg said a moment later, "They're about 275,000 miles away and closing fast."

"Open a channel?" Edward suggested.

"Not just yet, dawg," Cyborg said, "I want to keep them guessing until the last minute."

* * *

_Hi, again!_

_So far, so good, right? Story is moving right along as the Titans and Blackfire's fleet will be coming together in the next chapter._

_I know I'm really mucking about with several space related issues, mainly speed, but, considering that they went from Earth to Tamaran in record time in the series and were also on another planet far away from our solar system in "Stranded", I'm going to use the same basic nearly instant transport idea._

_Side note: If you pull my profile here, I've added a couple of things to hopefully bolster reviews and a few other things. There's a C2 community as well as a straight up forum. Everyone's welcome!_

_TTFN!_


	7. Hyperspace pursuit and First Blood

**Chapter 7  
[Near Mars]**

The T-ship was finally within a thousand miles of the invasion fleet and Cyborg finally set course for Tamaran. He held off on making the course change, though.

He opened a general hail and allowed Starfire to talk.

"This is Princess Koriand'r of the planet Tamaran and member of the Titans of Earth," she said formally, "Please state why you are approaching my home."

A young woman appeared on the viewscreen and she looked a lot like Starfire. The only differences were her hair was jet black and her eyes, for whatever reason, did not have that constant green glow.

"It's you I want, dear sister," she said coldly, in Tamaranian, "So kind of you to deliver yourself early. But, let me welcome you properly."

Edward's jaw dropped as several smaller craft suddenly split from the main fleet.

"Can we take them?" Terra asked.

"We don't have to," Cyborg said, hitting the "Engage" button.

Edward said over the channel, also in Tamaranian, "If you want Koriand'r, you will have to hunt us down and take her over our rotting corpses."

Before Blackfire had a chance to reply, the T-Ship swerved hard to starboard and its faster than light drive kicked on. The starfield appeared to stretch out in a beautiful pattern and within seconds, they were leaving the solar system, heading for Tamaran.

"All systems secure," the AI said, "The Tamaranian fleet has altered course and they are pursuing us."

"Excellent," Cyborg said, "They can't attack us at this speed, either."

**[Blackfire's ship]**

"So," Blackfire said, "They think they can protect Starfire, huh? They'll make for Tamaran and the other half of the fleet will blast them out of existence.

"Have our fleet spread out to prevent them from turning around."

Within a few minutes, the pursuing fleet had spread out to prevent the Titans from changing course. It was a risk they were willing to take, though. They had to spread themselves thinner than they'd like in the process.

"When they slow down, blast them out of the stars," Blackfire said coldly.

**[T-Ship]**

Edward noted the change in the fleet's configuration and frowned.

"Not good," he said, "Looks like they don't want us trying to retreat."

"They do not," Starfire replied, "They wish to force us to go straight ahead."

"They can't really enforce that, can they?" Beast Boy asked.

"I don't think their fighters are warp capable," Starfire replied.

"Means that only those bigger ships can go faster than light and they'd be cumbersome to move," Cyborg said, "We can stop quicker than they can."

"Have you tried slamming on the brakes at this speed?" Edward said, "If the dampeners fail…we're all hamburger if we're lucky. If not, we're a red paste. I can't even recover from that."

Edward tuned out Cyborg's answer as he felt Raven about to hurl.

[Rae, don't focus on that!] Edward said gently.

[Well, you gave me the mental image, smarty pants!] she retorted angrily.

Edward groaned, "Sorry. Can't a guy keep it real?"

"You OK, Raven?" Terra asked.

"Define OK," Raven said.

"Yo! You better not be thinking of tossing your cookies!" Cyborg said.

"Too late," Raven said and grabbed the barf bag.

Cyborg muted Raven's mic or he'd have the rest of the crew grabbing barf bags.

Edward muted his mic and let loose with several cuss words before turning his mic back on.

A long minute later, Raven phased the used barf bag out of the T-Ship where it started to slow down and since it was below the threat detection scanners of Blackfire's fleet, a few minutes later, slammed into Blackfire's ship with a resounding THUD! The impact was the same as if they hit a small asteroid and that resulted in a small dent in the ship and a cracked window that blew out a second later. Sadly for the room's occupant, he was sucked into open space. First blood went to the Titans by accident!

"Rae?" Edward said looking at the scanners and visual, "I think you hit them with that toxic bag. I'm seeing what could be a crew member's remains and venting atmosphere."

"Sure did," Cyborg said a moment later. He opted to leave well enough alone.

{Well, there went the no kill rule,] Raven said via the link.

[Hon,] Edward soothed, [This is war and in a war, there is death on both sides of the conflict. It cannot be helped.]

[You've fought in wars?] she asked.

[Of course I've fought in wars, Rachel,] he said, [It's no fun, but, I have fought. It was only World War 1 and 2 when I used my Dragon form and other forms for the USA, but, I was somewhat involved with the Korean War and Vietnam as well. Those latter two was more of an advisory role. I did see action in Korea and even helped save American lives at a MASH unit.]

[I studied those later wars and didn't recall seeing you there,] Raven said.

[I didn't really use my Dragon form much then,] Edward said, [You have to remember that I was tired of the near constant fighting between nations. Most of the 20th century was fighting. World War 1, then not even 20 years of true peace before a nearly decade long conflict broke out. Then, barely five years of peace before Korea. And Vietnam was right behind that. Then, the Middle East kept flaring up. So, yeah, I'm tired of widespread wars…and here I am again, this time in a possible interstellar war?!]

[I'm sorry, honey,] Raven said softly. She was still trying to figure out her fiancée and he just gave her a major piece of the puzzle on his issues: He was sick of fighting, plain and simple. That was one reason he was having problems at times. His draconic nature didn't mind the fighting and in fact relished it…It was his learned humanity that was starting to hate it.

[It's OK, my love,] Edward said, [I know where my duty lies and it's irrelevant to shirk that. My duty is to my extended family and if one member is an alien, that's fine…if one member is a half-demon who I love very much, you know that I'll fight.]

[No kidding!] Raven said. She was thinking of all the times Edward saved her life already: Malchior and Trigon were her two biggest threats that she couldn't handle and Edward fought them to the death. And the other minor threats he handled as well.

**[Blackfire's ship – 10 minutes earlier]**

"Your Highness?" the commander said, "We've received a coded transmission from Tamaran. They are running into heavy resistance from the Tamaranian Defense Forces."

"Tell them to press the…" she stopped as the ship shuddered and alarms started to sound!

"Hull Breach on deck 12! We're reading a loss of pressure from cabin 12-482," the tactical officer said and entered commands into his console, "Initiating emergency force field now."

"What in X'Hal's name happened?" Blackfire snarled.

"Unknown, Milady," the guy said. Then, he paled and said, "We've lost a crew member."

The rest of the crew looked and saw the drifting body of the brave warrior drifting in space. He was still traveling at the faster than light speed, but, as they watched in horror, the corpse fell out of the warp bubble and exploded into a rapidly spreading mist…destroyed at the cellular level.

"Eeew!" one of the crewmen said, "Not how I'd like to go into the void."

Blackfire considered disciplining the crewman, but, in a fairly rare display of mercy said nothing, mainly because the guy was right. They weren't Tamaranians who could survive the vacuum of space and to die like that was not a warrior's death. She was sure that there would be causalities in this operation and all aboard knew that as well.

Blackfire turned her attention to what had happened and said, "Get me a visual of that crewman's quarters."

A moment later, there was a live feed from there and they saw where there was a dented hull plate and the remains of the window.

"Can we determine what that object might have been?" Blackfire asked.

"Milady," the commander said, "I've been looking over the sensor records and something odd happened. Something appeared near the Titans' ship suddenly and streaked back towards us."

"Do you have a visual?" Blackfire demanded.

The commander patched the video through to the primary viewscreen and is showed an object wrapped in a jet black aura for a moment.

"It's a container of some sort that appeared above where we think the girl in the violet uniform is," he said.

"That would be Raven," Blackfire said, "She's very dangerous, people. But, if you can keep her from talking, she cannot use her full powers."

"What did she throw at us?" the commander asked.

"Something tells me she got space sickness," Blackfire said dourly.

"She threw up?" The commander said.

"I bet if we looked at that dent, we'd see that you're correct," Blackfire said, "Score one for the Titans. They drew first blood. The crewman will be avenged as she will pay with her life for his."

"Milady," the commander said, "If Raven's there, so is her protector. Remember our briefing on what we know about him. When provoked, he's potentially extremely dangerous."

"And I'm not?" Blackfire said, eyes glowing purple. The meaning was clear to all: Don't provoke Blackfire.

**[An hour later – T-Ship]**

"Are we close to being there yet?" Beast Boy asked.

"Almost, grass stain," Cyborg said, "We have to slow down at the edge of Tamaran's solar system and that's coming up pretty soon."

Terra had taken a nap and hearing that they were close started to wake the young geomancer up. She was concerned, though: Would her powers even work on an alien world? Chances were that she'd have problem, but, she had to check.

She stretched and felt her back muscles pop. She let out a content sigh at that development before turning her headset back on.

"Hey, Starfire?" she asked.

"What is it, friend Terra?" Star replied.

"Do you think my powers will work on your homeworld?" Terra asked.

"Boyfriend Robin wouldn't have given you this mission if he felt otherwise," Starfire said, "Almost all of us have been there and I assure you: Your powers shall work on Tamaran."

"I don't see why they wouldn't, Tara," Edward said, "Most rocky planets like Earth will have dirt, dust, gravel and so on that you can use as weapons. The pictures I've seen from Mars bear this out with the major dust storms as well as the unmanned robots there. Relax, you'll be fine."

Terra smiled hearing that reassurance from her best friends. In the few months since she was freed from her stone prison, she'd gone from a scared out of her mind 14 year old to a more confident 18. She was stunned to find out that she missed four years of her life. But, she adjusted pretty well. She had weekly "sessions" with Edward and while she still had flashes of being unstable, the talks had helped a lot.

But, the biggest help was Beast Boy. He was her rock when things were not as stable as they should have been. He had matured, and fast according to Raven. He still told jokes and enjoyed a well thought out prank (when he wasn't on the receiving end of it) at times, but, he knew when it was time to be serious. That made Raven happy because she was tired of the non-stop effort he put into making her laugh.

Actually, there were several times recently that she actually did find him funny and laughed aloud. That told Beast Boy what he felt along…she did find him funny at times.

Terra had proven that she was no longer interested in betraying the team, especially after Edward sternly told her that there would be no more chances and that she needed to be more open with the entire team if she felt that she could be swayed. She readily agreed saying that she couldn't throw away her new family a third time, not after they sacrificed a lot for her.

Raven, for her part, taught Terra how to meditate effectively. Edward had smiled when Raven approached Terra to offer meditation lessons. Beast Boy smiled broadly hearing Terra saying that it would be a good idea. The two women had started to bond more as a result.

And, Starfire had practically adopted Terra as another sister! They would routinely go to the "mall of shopping" and while Edward got a chuckle out of it, the two performed "braiding maneuvers" on each other (Raven would politely decline, of course). Terra proved to be adapt at working with Starfire's longer hair, something that made Robin happy as well.

But, as they approached Tamaranian space, Cyborg finally had to consider slowing to sub-light speed, even with that fleet in hot pursuit. He figured that they would have, at most, 5 seconds before Blackfire's fleet also slowed to sub-light and the fight would be on.

"Y'all might want to hang tight!" he said, "We're coming out of hyperspace in 10 seconds."

Everyone did a mental countdown and they felt the deceleration as the inertial dampeners kicked into high gear.

Sure enough, Blackfire's fleet whipped right past them, but, they all saw the starstreaks as they dropped into normal space.

They also saw several other ships closing in on their position.

"We have to get to Tamaran," Edward said, lighting up his weapons.

The other Titans followed suit as each pod had its own weapons system and forcefields that Cyborg had designed.

Smaller ships emerged from the fleet and Edward let out a whistle.

"Don't let the numbers scare you," he advised the others, "We can get through this. Just remember to think your moves out in 3D, not 2D."

"Incoming transmission," the AI announced and put the video on screen.

"Well," Blackfire said, "Seems you got lucky with a cheap shot. Now that we're all back in normal space. How about you surrender Starfire to me and I'll let you return to Earth intact."

"Not happening," Cyborg said, "Like Edward said, over our dead bodies."

"Oh, that can be arranged," Blackfire said, "I even know who will die first. That little bird you brought with you."

Edward's eyes went instantly yellow and that got Blackfire's attention.

"Oh, hit a nerve, I see," she taunted, "Maybe I'll have her tortured before I kill her slowly. Unlike what she did to one of my crew."

Raven felt Edward's mental presence starting to go from it's comforting glow to an angrier glow.

[Easy, Edward,] she said, [She's trying to goad you.]

[I'm not going to let them hurt you,] he snarled.

[I know that, dear,] she soothed, [They don't know you that well.]

"What's your answer, Dragon?" Blackfire asked.

"How do you know what I am?" he demanded.

"Oh, we've got ways of getting information," she cooed.

[They've got spies back on Earth,] Edward said to Raven.

"Tell you what, lady," Edward said aloud, "Hurt Raven and I can and will tear you apart. Try to take Starfire back into slavery and you might not live to regret it."

"You think you're stronger than a Tamaranian?" Blackfire scoffed.

"I've seen him in the rage, sister," Starfire said, "Please don't do this!"

"Do what, dear sister?" Blackfire said, "Take back what is rightfully mine? See you get what you deserve?"

Little did Blackfire know, though…the viewscreen was showing Edward what her area looked like. And Edward smiled. He had a point of contact to teleport to.

"What are you smiling about?" Blackfire said, "I'm about to blow you out of the stars."

"I think you're in for a surprise," Raven said. Cyborg also caught the gleam in Edward's eye and cut video for a second.

"Edward, go," he said.

"I'll be right back," Edward said and shapeshifted to his tiny Dragon form.

"Put the video back on," Edward requested.

"What is that?" Blackfire said a second later, just in time to see Edward literally disappear. A moment later, the Titans saw Edward reappear behind Blackfire.

"Sister?" Starfire said, "You might not want to do the looking behind you."

"Yeah, like I'm going to fall for that trick," Blackfire said, "and where did that other one go?"

The others saw Edward's spinal ridges light up a nice white color and a moment later, he unleashed a lightning bolt, right to Blackfire's rear end. She let out a scream of pain as the electricity coursed through her.

He let off a few seconds later and as Blackfire turned around, eyes blazing purple, he warned her in her native language, "Do not continue this course of action, Blackfire. That was a warning shot. You come near Raven or Starfire and we'll bury you and your fleet here in space. Call off your fleet because, if we are forced to fight…the Titans will kill if necessary. I am a lot more powerful than you realize."

Blackfire made to grab Edward and was rewarded with bite marks for her trouble.

Blackfire grabbed her sore hand as Edward said, "Don't try that again. You have 5 Earth minutes to back down and let us through."

She tried again to grab Edward, but, only grasped air as Edward teleported back.

First blood went to Edward, but, he knew that Blackfire wouldn't simply back down as he morphed back and grabbed something to take the taste out of his mouth.

[Yuck!] he groused privately.

[You know you only made her angrier, right?] Raven said.

[Part of the plan, my dear,] he replied, [but, don't tell Star…Tamaranian flesh doesn't taste that good!]

He was rewarded with a giggle through the link.

Oh, Edward knew that wasn't even the opening salvo and it was a matter of time when that would happen…Probably within the next few minutes!

* * *

_Things are finally starting to get interesting, I see. The guys are at the edge of Tamaran. Blackfire's nursing a sore hand and fried buttocks. Yeah, she's going to be most angry. Let's hope that the T-Ship can take it. I wasn't sure if Edward's teeth would penetrate Blackfire's skin, hence why he did not just tear out a chunk._

_FYI, I have no idea how close Tamaran is supposed to be to our solar system, but, for the sake of the story. I had to place it fairly close to our parcel of space. I've got the Grand Centauri Empire out quite a bit, obviously.  
_

_I'm not sure how many more chapters are left to go, to be honest. I will tell you that this will be a longer story. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride :)  
_


	8. Space fight and landing on Tamaran

**Chapter 8  
[Tamaran Space – Blackfire's room]**

Blackfire was, well, pissed. Her rear end was still quite sore from that lightning attack and her hand had little dragon teeth marks on it.

She summoned the ship's captain and when he arrived, she grabbed him and snarled, "Are the shields up?"

"They are, Milady, I ordered them put up soon as we dropped back into normal space," he said.

She showed him the fading teeth marks and said, "That Barnes was just here! That _clorbag_ bit me! And attacked me from behind as well. I want them destroyed. I want them gone or so help me…I will feed you to the wild beasts of Tamaran."

"Milady," he gasped, "Our fighters are waiting for the order to attack."

She released him and snarled, "The order is GIVEN!"

He coughed and headed out to relay the order.

The fighters were one man vessels, designed for close quarters combat and capable of packing a punch.

They were given a general hail: "Attack and destroy the enemy craft."

**[T-Ship]**

"Here they come," Cyborg said, "Looks like we have our answer. Lock and load, Titans!"

Edward said, "Computer, target all incoming targets of opportunity. Prepare to fire."

"Ready to fire," the AI said. Edward knew that the others were issuing the same command to their pod's AI.

Edward hit a button on his console and localized deflectors came on. But, what the enemy didn't know is that Edward had the T-Ship coated with an invisible armor from his friends at Knight Industries. He didn't need to know what it was comprised of, just that it needed to withstand possible heavy firefights and other abuse.

"I hope this Molecular Bonded Shell you installed works," Cyborg said.

"It will," Edward said, "I've seen it in action. It's pretty tough stuff and they did put a double layer on."

"Evasive pattern Cyborg One," Cyborg said as the particle weapons from the other fighters started to lance out. A moment later the T-ship implemented the order and the initial volley barely missed.

"Fire at will!" Edward said. The Titans opened fire and their weapons found one fighter, sending that guy spinning out of control.

The AI was tracking multiple inbound fighters and was firing at several targets. Several more spiraled away, spitting parts of their ships. Several exploded.

The problem was that the T-ship as a single unit, could not fire to the rear, and as soon as the enemy fighters realized that, they made an effort to keep a fighter on the T-Ship's "six". That was a fact that Cyborg figured out right away.

After several long minutes he said, "Titans, separate!" Everyone hit the command on their console and the T-Ship split into five single person fighters.

"Computer," Edward said, "Initiate encrypted link to Terra's pod. Keep her pod under control and active battle assistance mode."

They knew that Terra would be the least experienced in these situations and would need help.

"Initiating link…Link initialized," the AI said.

Edward's heads up display showed an enemy fighter heading for Raven's ship, and headed toward it.

[Incoming!] Edward warned.

Raven responded quickly as Edward drew a lock and opened fire on the enemy spacecraft. It took a direct hit and exploded.

Edward looked around and saw a fighter coming towards him, only to be blasted by Starfire.

Cyborg was rocked hard by enemy fire, though, before Beast Boy distracted the enemy pilot by blowing a hole through the guy's hull.

Terra was being chased by several fighters, though. The AI was hard pressed to keep her out of trouble.

[Terra's in trouble,] Raven said.

[On it,] Edward replied and spun his craft into a hard 100 degree turn. His HUD lit up with one blue symbol and 5 red ones.

"Lock weapons on enemy craft," Edward ordered, "Multiple fire mode. Automatic fire."

"Warning: Excessive firing may result in overheating of primary weapons," the AI said.

"Override authorization Barnes Alpha 1," Edward said.

"Overriden," the AI said.

Edward pushed his throttle to the max and as he got closer, the primary weapons started to hum.

"Optimal range in 5 seconds," the AI said as the enemy craft started firing on Terra's craft. Her craft shuddered under the weapons fire, but, her shields were holding.

"Terra's shields down to 75%," the AI relayed, "Firing!"

A rapid barrage of weapons fire erupted from Edward's pod, but, as the AI was forced to fire on multiple targets, the effect was lessened.

"Titans," Edward said, "Converge on Terra's position!"

The others immediately headed to give their team mate a hand as well.

"You OK, Terra?" Cyborg asked.

"Shaken and stirred," she replied, "Now I know how LA feels."

Edward chuckled as his AI took out one of the fighters chasing Terra.

Just then, his craft rocked hard as it was slammed by an enemy ship. Alarms blared for a moment as well.

"Shields down to 30%," the AI said as Edward fought for control.

"Initiating counterthrust move," the AI said a moment later and his ship was starting to recover.

The others had converged on Terra's position and blasted them, forcing the survivors to break away. Some ended up covered in Raven's powers and slammed headlong into others.

But, while the Titans were slowly whittling down the numbers, it was beginning to look like the numbers were against them regardless.

"Warning!" Edward's AI said, "Weapon power at 25%. Recharge required soon."

Edward muttered a few choice words before opening a channel, "Guys, my AI is saying critical power levels. Anyone else having this problem?"

As soon as he asked, it, he regretted it as everyone said "WHAT DO YOU THINK?!"

"Titans, Regroup!" Cyborg said.

A few moments later, they had returned to the one ship configuration and the AI reported that the weapons were at a more acceptable level.

"Cyborg," Edward said, "Is there a way for the T-Ship to absorb lightning?"

"You mean, you'd recharge the batteries?" he asked.

"No, I'd have Terra do it!" Edward retorted as he blasted another enemy craft, "Sorry, Cy. Yeah, use my lightning to recharge the weapons."

He heard Terra chuckling over the intercom, however.

"It's all good, Edward," Cyborg said, then, blasted at another ship.

They had one more trick up their sleeve, but, it was untested. Cyborg had developed a prototype cloaking system. The problem was that it could feasibly drain the T-Ship's power reserves and one couldn't fire weapons or use the deflectors at the same time.

"Computer," Cyborg said, "If we used the cloaking system, how long would we have before we had to become visible again?"

"At the current power levels, Cyborg," it said, "The cloak would only last at most three minutes."

"It's not much, sadly," Cyborg said.

The T-ship was hit by a barrage of incoming fire and that was it for the deflectors. With a final burst of blue, they failed.

"Pattern Cyborg Omega!" Cyborg shouted. The AI went into a new evasive pattern and incoming shots missed.

The AI locked on to other enemy craft as the team kept firing. More fighters joined the fray as well. It didn't take them long to realize the T-Ship was without shields and they were trying to follow the flight pattern of the evading AI.

But, it was a matter of time before they were tagged and that time finally arrived. Several enemy fighters scored direct hits on the T-Ship and they were surprised to see the T-Ship not being blown up. The new MBS was holding against the weapons fire.

As they continued to evade, Edward said, "Computer, is it possible for you to absorb lightning?"

"Give me a few moments, please," the AI said.

As they continued to defend themselves, the fight was moving closer to Tamaran, a fact noticed by Starfire.

"Friends," she said, "We are getting closer to my planet!"

"How close, Star?" Cyborg asked.

"It's about 1 million Earth miles away," she said.

"Can we hyper jump there?" Edward asked.

"We cannot," she said.

"How about teleportation?" Edward asked.

"Friend Raven's teleport or yours?" Star asked

"Mine," Edward said.

"No, friend Edward!" Star protested, "You need the oxygen!"

"Starfire's right, Edward," Raven said, "This is beyond your limits and we're still in a hard vacuum. You could seriously hurt yourself. And, you're never been to Tamaran so you can't teleport anyway."

"You have been, though, dear," Edward said, "If you send me a mental picture, I might be able to."

"Not a chance," she said, "And, don't try to take one from my mind. I'm putting up mental shields to block that. I'm really sorry, love."

"Don't be, Rae," Edward said, "I understand.

"Suggestion, though: Cloak, then, do a speed burst towards Tamaran at sublight speed and after a 30 second burn we coast the rest of the way, turning off all non-essential systems. Beast Boy and I form something smaller, like a bird and divert our pods life support into main power, leaving those on bare minimum settings. Well, for mine, turn it off completely, I'll teleport over to Raven's pod as a small bird."

Cyborg thought about it and said, "That would buy us another 30 seconds or so of power to the cloak. It should get us closer to Tamaran, if not into the atmosphere. The problem is it may not give us much control over how we land."

"Don't worry about that," Edward said, "Once we are in the atmosphere, I can withstand the pressure long enough to get us safely down by gliding or teleport."

The T-ship rocked hard to port as the MBS deflected another hit. Raven responded with her abilities and tossed the approaching craft into another one.

"Once we can get to ground, the odds will chance to our favor," Edward said, "I know that Terra would love the chance to really let loose with her powers."

"Let's do this!" Cyborg yelled.

"Computer, shut down my pod and divert all its power into the cloaking system in 30 seconds," Edward ordered.

"Edward," the AI replied, "I cannot do that as it would put your life in danger."

"If I were here, that would be the case," Edward said, "I will be in Raven's pod via a teleport by then. Please comply."

"Beginning 30 second countdown," the AI said, "until pod shutdown."

The T-ship rocked again just then as another enemy craft saw it's weapon fire deflected away.

Edward morphed to mini-dragon form and teleported to Raven's pod.

[Hi, sweetie,] she said. Edward nudged her in reply.

"OK," Cyborg said, "Edward's pod is shut down. It's now or never!"

"Computer, initiate cloaking device, set course for Tamaran and 60 second maximum thrust, then, coast mode. Divert all non-essential power to the cloaking device."

"Working," the AI said, "Done. At the rate of power consumption, though, the cloak will drop prior to entering Tamaran's atmosphere. Aircraft control not assured."

"Engage!" Cyborg said. A moment later, the T-Ship started to turn and before the eyes of Blackfire's forces, it disappeared from view and sensors at the same time.

The T-ships engines went to maximum power and that forced the Titans into the backs of their seats…or grabbing Raven's cloak in Edward's case.

Tamaran was getting closer by the second as the engines pushed the craft closer and closer.

At the 60 second point, the engines suddenly sighed and died. The power levels in the T-Ship started flickering, but, held after a second at very low levels.

"Cloak's holding, y'all," Cyborg said, "But, it's going to fail in a moment. We have minimal thrusters and we're about 200,000 miles out. Luckily, they aren't chasing us, yet."

**[Five minutes ago – Blackfire's ship]**

"What are they doing?" Blackfire asked, "They've taken out half the fighters and barely have a scratch on them. Their shields collapsed a while ago and still aren't damaged."

"No idea, Milady," the commander said, hitting a few buttons on his console, telling another squadron to try to take down the T-Ship. Blackfire was still cursing Edward's brazen invasion of her ship, and she wasn't going to admit it, but, her hand was still throbbing from her misguided attempt to grab him. Her rear was still sore as well.

She saw the dwindling defense of the T-Ship and while she was impressed with the way they fought, she saw what she thought was more desperation on their parts. They were running low on power and it was a matter of time before they…

Blackfire saw one of the pods go dark and wondered what was happening.

That was apparent a minute later as the T-ship shrugged off another attack and turned. But, as it turned, it shimmered out of sight!

"What the…" Blackfire snarled, "FIND THEM!"

"We're trying, Milady!" the commander said frantically, "They're gone!"

"What do you mean, gone?" she said, "Ships cannot just disappear like that."

"Begging your pardon, Milady," he said, "This one just did."

"Any idea where they might be?" Blackfire asked, "Is there any way to even track them?"

"With all the ion trails and residue, it will be difficult at best," the tactical officer said, "They could have headed anywhere."

"They would want to protect dear little sister's home," Blackfire thought aloud, "But, they could also be trying to retreat. If their shields were down and they were running out of power, would they set down on Tamaran?"

"If they did, Milady," the commander said, "Our ground forces are already making some headway towards the palace. They would be able to dispatch the Titans."

A beep from the tactical station got their attention.

"Scanners just detected something about 175,000 earth miles from Tamaran," the guy said, "But, I'm not reading any power from it."

"Probably a rock," Blackfire said.

What she didn't know is that the T-Ship was on bare minimum life support and drifting towards the planet. Cyborg was using the thrusters only as necessary to keep the T-Ship heading towards Tamaran. They were already in the outer fringes of the planet's gravity anyway, as indicated by their orbital speed slowly increasing.

**[T-ship]**

Both Edward and Beast Boy were using smaller life forms to reduce their oxygen requirements and Edward had switched to straight telepathy to communicate to Raven, who was relaying stuff to the rest of the Titans. That certainly helped in the long run.

"Get ready y'all," Cyborg said, "It's going to be a bumpy ride down. We barely have power to maneuver as it is and until the air's thick enough for Edward's wings to work, it's going to be difficult, at best."

[How do the scanners look?] Edward asked.

Raven relayed the request and Cyborg said, "We're running on passive scans only. That reduces the resolution a lot. They are showing a group of ships above Tamaran, but, with some luck, they might pass on the other side and we can drop down under their scanners."

[Good. Using Tamaran itself as a sensor block. It'll go both ways, but, it's acceptable. We don't have enough power, though to ensure that,] he said.

[Where did you learn so much?] Raven asked.

[A lot of this stuff is sort of common sense, dear,] he explained, [Planets are a natural barrier to line of sight items and sensors are pretty much line of sight. We'd have to worry about the fleet behind us, though. Blackie's going to be royally angry if she discovers we slipped by her.]

[And she wasn't when you bit her?] she asked sarcastically.

[You got me there,] Edward admitted, [If she's even like Star, you and I, the blazing eyes were a giveaway.]

[You've only seen Star ticked like once or twice, hon,] Raven said, [When she's on a tear, she can machine gun her starbolts. So can Blackfire.]

By then, they were watching as cyborg tried to level their descent a bit.

"Easy," he said over the intercom, "If I don't get this done just right, we'll explode or skim right off the atmosphere. I don't dare use the AI as we're so low on juice."

Cyborg had put the AI into a sleep mode to reduce power as well, but, it was looking like it might not be enough.

[I'll be right back,] Edward said, [Going to teleport to BB and move him to Terra's pod.]

[OK,] Raven said and let Cyborg know what was happening.

Edward popped over to Beast Boy's pod and whispered, "Need to get you over to your girlfriend's pod, Gar."

Beast Boy nodded in his sparrow form.

He jumped onto Edward's back and a second later, was in Terra's pod.

"What's shaking?" she asked.

"Gar needs to stay here," Edward whispered, "We need the energy from his pod. Catch ya later." He nuzzled Terra's cheek, getting a giggle out of her.

He headed back to Raven's pod.

[That's done,] he said with a sigh.

Cyborg killed Beast Boy's power and that gave the T-ship a small boost.

He also knew Starfire could tolerate her pod being turned off and after asking her, he turned hers off as well. That gave the T-ship about 10% remaining power. Just enough that with careful budgeting, they'd make it into the atmosphere. The MBS was rated to 2500 degrees, so that wasn't a huge problem. But, the landing would be tricky. Edward did not have the required piece of information to teleport to the surface as yet.

Then again, once they were low enough, Edward could grab hold of the T-Ship in his talons and glide to the surface anyway.

Before they knew it, though, they were finally in the upper fringes of the atmosphere. The very faint sound of the wind was heard and Cyborg said, "Y'all best hang on, we're fully involved now and the power is at 2%."

[How many miles before I could try to glide us down?] Edward asked.

Raven relayed the question and their HUDs changed to atmospheric flight mode. It showed in miles that they were still about 90 miles above ground, traveling at a nerve racking 8,529 MPH and starting to slow.

As they plunged into the Tamaranian skies, the outer MBS layer started to heat up and within minutes, it was a nice rosy glow. Cyborg made a few minute adjustments to the T-Ship's attitude.

They hit 70 miles up and that gave enough bite to allow Cyborg to start an aerobrake move to hopefully slow the T-ship down a bit. They were past the point of sneaking to Tamaran, anyway. The heat of re-entry was already visible on the ground and also from Blackfire's ship.

The airspeed indicator still wasn't working but, the spaceflight speed indicator was showing that they dropped to 7,000 MPH and that was slow enough to ensure that they would not skip off the Tamaran atmosphere.

At 50 miles above ground, the stresses were quite high as Cyborg leveled out the T-Ship.

"C'mon, baby!" he said, "We're almost there. One more aerobrake!"

The underside of the T-Ship was almost white hot and that meant that unless the temperature dropped soon, the MBS might shatter.

Cyborg waited until they were a mere 20 miles above the surface to do another aerobrake move. By then, their speed had dropped to a more comfortable 3,000 MPH. The craft swerved to the right, taking a bigger bite out of the thickening air and slowing more. Edward dug his talons into Raven's harness, knowing that her cloak would probably tear.

Beast Boy was doing the same in his bird form with Terra's harness.

Cyborg threw the T-Ship into a gradual left bank as they crossed the 50,000 foot line. It was borderline what Edward could safely handle in altitude, but, the T-Ship was still too hot for him to handle safely.

Another right turn at 40,000 feet lowered their speed to just above Mach 1, and the coldness from that altitude cooled the skin of the T-Ship to under 400. A few more moments and it would be cooled off to where Edward could grab onto it.

Cyborg lowered an emergency mini-propeller. This device, the same as what airlines used, would start spinning and generate power for the T-Ship to use in the final descent.

"Oh no!" Starfire said sadly, "Tamaran is invaded!" Edward thought that Star might be in denial and her words breaking that denial broke his heart.

[Tell her that this will not stand,] Edward said to Raven.

She relayed the message.

"Friend Edward," Starfire said, "How are we going to fight off this invasion?"

"We'll kick their butts, that how! Koriand'r, these are your people and still your home world. For as many times as you've helped Earthlings, it's time that your new family returns the favor. Have you seen me at my full size? Rae and Arella have."

"He's bigger than Malchior, Star," Raven confirmed, "Much bigger."

Terra giggled, "Raven, don't give me any mental pictures."

Raven groaned and said, "Keep it to yourself, Markov, or you might have to dig yourself out."

"Just saying, Raven," Terra said and let it drop.

"Teenagers," Raven grumbled.

"You're still one yourself, Rae," Edward said, earning a thump for his trouble. Raven was the only one allowed to do that. Anyone else would be on the wrong end of his temper.

The altimeter was reading 20,000 feet by then and the AI had been woke up as well with the higher power levels.

"50 miles from target, Cyborg," it said, "At current rate of descent, we will be forced to land a good 10 miles short. There isn't enough power to get us into a higher altitude."

"What's the temperature of the outer skin?" Cyborg asked.

"Outer skin is at 15C," the AI reported.

"That's well within my tolerances, folks," Edward said, "And just in time! Look!"

The invading ground forces were waiting for a chance to attack the descending craft and they finally had it. Weapons fire was again assailing the T-Ship!

"Hang on, everyone!" Edward said. He teleported out and took his first breath of Tamaranian air.

He enlarged to be able to grab onto the T-Ship and as he did, Raven finally fed him the mental image he needed of the castle.

He teleported for the first time in his immense life to a target on an alien world!

* * *

_Hi, Everyone!  
_

_Another minor cliffhanger and there's still one more major fight left between the team and the invasion force. Then, possibly a one on one fight between wither Galfore and Blackfire or Starfire V Blackfire round 3. I'm going to see how the Muse wants to play it.  
_

_I will have to give readers a head's up, though. While Chapter 9 should be within a week, my nephew is coming home on leave soon before shipping out to Sicily and since we will be having to share the basement, it will possibly cut into my writing time. Chapter 10 might be delayed as a result. Oh well!  
_

_You've noticed I've added in another TV series homage: The T-Ship's new MBS is lifted from the original Knight Rider series. The AI is also partially Knight Rider based in both the Tower and the T-Ship.  
_

_TTFN...Please leave reviews ;)  
_


	9. Help arranged and a Princess betrayed!

**Chapter 9  
[Back on Earth]**

While the T-Ship was fighting for its life, the other Titans were concerned. The approaching fleet had indeed taken the bait and followed the T-Ship to Tamaran. Galfore had kept the Titans appraised of the situation, until the invasion forces had destroyed the transmitter, that is. Needless to say, Robin was concerned. His closest friends were out in harm's way because there wasn't enough room to carry them all.

"Senor Robin," Menos asked in Spanish, "Do not worry, Senor Cyborg will bring them home."

"Easy for you to say," Robin replied after David translated, "Your girlfriend isn't out there."

"Starfire can handle herself, Robin," Aqualad said, "She's a fighter and she got the best backup available, right?"

"I still should have gone," Robin objected, "I've handled Tamaranian guards before."

"I think you got lucky that time," Bee said, "Let it go, man and have faith that they'll be OK. Once the League gets back and resupplied, they'll go help. I know they're happy you have that Dragon on your team, if not jealous that he didn't join the League."

"Well, considering that Edward is still technically a new guy, his experience is worth having," Robin said.

"Senor Eduardo?" Mas said.

"Yes," Robin said, "bet you guys have no idea how old he is."

"No idea," Bee said, "He doesn't look that old, though."

David chuckled, "You'd be surprised."

"Oh, I'd say about 30," Bee said. David roared with laughter, "Way off, Bumblebee! Put it this way. I was born on July 4, 1776, so how could…"

He stopped when the others, save Robin, dropped their jaws.

"Much higher, guys," David said, enjoying the looks.

"1500?" Aqualad said. Robin said, "Higher."

"1750?" Bee said. David: "Keep going."

"2500?" Mas Y Menos chirped. Robin: "Getting warmer."

"3000?" Speedy asked. Both Robin and David said, "Right."

"Dang, that's old," Bee said, "Why doesn't he look old?"

"Immortality has its advantages," David said, "Being a shapeshifter helps as well."

"Immortal?" Speedy asked.

"Yep, Dad's immortal," David said.

"Are you?" Speedy asked.

"No," he said, "My mom was a reptilian shapeshifter and she was mortal. Dad at one time thought she was immortal due to her rapid healing, but, she passed in the early 1800s."

"So, there was compatible DNA, then?" Robin guessed.

"Obviously," David said.

"So, if Raven and your dad 'do it', their DNA isn't compatible," Aqualad asked.

"That, we don't know," David said.

I wonder if the AI would have any ideas," Robin said and typed in some commands into his console.

"I'm sorry, Robin," the AI said, "That information is private and encrypted to Edward's voiceprint."

"Well, at least Edward was researching the idea," Robin said.

"What about if Beast Boy and Terra want to have kids?" Bee asked.

The AI responded, "There is a 99% probability that Beast Boy's DNA, being a shapeshifter, would be compatible with Terra."

"Then, it's likely that Edward's DNA would adapt to be compatible with Raven," Robin said.

They chatted a while longer before the communication system chimed.

Arella was manning the system, hoping to hear something from her daughter. She hid any disappointment when Batman was on the other end.

"The League has returned," he said, "Needless to say, no one's happy that this was a wild goose chase. The warrant for Lobo was proven to be a false plant, as was a broadcast to lure Lobo into the Grand Centauri Empire. At last word, Lobo had diverted away and was heading for Tamaran as well. He's not happy."

"I'd bet," Robin said, stepping into view, "The question is will he help the Titans or assume our teammates are in on this scheme?"

"He's going to be looking for whoever is responsible, Robin," Batman replied, "He tends to be a rogue most of the time, but, the few times he's helped the League, he was on our side. He's temperamental, though. Not unlike Edward, actually. If your teammates can convince Lobo that they had nothing to do with this, he's reliable enough. But, he won't take orders."

"That will work in our favor, then," Robin said, "We suspect that Blackfire is behind all this and as this is a Grand Centauri Empire matter, Lobo might want to take her back himself."

"Count on that," Green Lantern said as he came into view, "They have issued a valid arrest warrant for Blackfire and attached a reward. It's not anywhere near as large as the false flag, but, the Lantern's database entry on Lobo says that as he was made a fool of, he's going to want that bounty badly. As long as your guys don't horn in on the bounty, Lobo should work with your folks."

"Will the Lantern Corp get involved?" Robin said.

"That's part of my sector, so, I will be going to keep an eye on things," he said, "If your guys get in over their heads, I'll intervene. You have my word."

Robin sighed in relief. The word of a Green Lantern was something that one could have complete trust in, even more than Edward's word.

"Thank you," Arella said softly, "You don't know what that means to me."

"Raven's mother, correct?" Green Lantern asked.

Arella nodded, "Yes, I am."

"On my honor as a member of the Green Lantern Corp, I'll bring them home safely," he responded softly, "The League owes her a debt."

He had just made an unbreakable vow, for by calling on the honor of the Corp, if he failed due to his actions, his ring would depower itself and thus, John Stewart would be expelled from the Corp in disgrace.

"Not many folks get this promise, people," Robin said, "We can rest easier."

"Thank you," Arella said again.

"You're welcome, Ma'am," GL said.

"Please, it's Arella," she said gently.

They talked for a few more moments before signing off. Green Lantern needed to make sure his ring was fully charged up before leaving again. Luckily, that was only a moment's work.

In the WatchTower, Green Lantern spoke this solemn oath:

**"In brightest day, in blackest night,**  
**No evil shall escape my sight**  
**Let those who worship evil's might,**  
**Beware my power, Green Lantern's light!"**

Immediately, there was a bright flash of green energy as he touched the ring to its eternal battery, recharging it to full power in the process.

Back at the "other Tower", the Titans were waiting word when the comms came back to life again.

It was audio only, though, but, through the static, they heard Cyborg:

"Yo, guys! Sorry that this is a recorded message, but, we're running low on power. The good news: We're down safely! Edward had to teleport us to the castle. The bad news is that there is a full scale invasion here and this time, it's for real! There's a lull in the fighting, but, that's not going to last. If there's any way to get us some backup, we really could use the help! Cyborg out!"

Robin thought for a moment and said, "We need to go as well, Titans. If the League will give us a ride, we have to cover our teammates backs like we always do.

"Get packed. Arella will stay back to watch the fort."

Everyone went to get whatever they'd need. The Titans East members were storing their stuff in Edward's old room, so, it wouldn't take much time to get ready.

Robin called back to the WatchTower and filled Batman in on what was happening. Sure, Bruce and Dick still had issues, but, those were set aside at times. This was one of them, luckily.

It was a shame that the redesigned T-Ship hadn't been ready for this mission, though. The parts ordered had not shipped prior to this crisis coming up and it would take a while to get them in and installed as Cyborg needed to install them. He was fussy about who helped with his machines. Raven was an exception with the T-Car as she helped build the first replacement. She had proven to be quite adept in that area.

Regardless, the mission was to get to Tamaran and hope that they weren't too late.

**[Tamaran Castle]**

"Wow!" Edward said after teleporting the T-Ship, "This place is huge!"

"It is quite the big," Starfire said, "Welcome to my home, Friends."

Terra was speechless, which was rare. But, she did test her powers and as Starfire said, they were working. That pleased the geomancer greatly. She smiled as the boulder she used gently set itself down.

A huge man approached and Starfire smiled broadly. She flew over to him and hugged.

"Friends," she said, "You remember my k'norfka Emperor Galfore?"

Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg nodded.

"Galfore," she said, "These are my new friends, Edward and Terra."

"X'hal!" Galfore said.

Edward bowed, as was his custom with in the presence of royalty.

"Your friend does honor me," Galfore said, "You don't need to bow to me, though. You are guests, not subjects."

Edward switched to Tamaranian, "Thank you, Your Majesty. The honor is mine."

"You are the one who also knows our language?" Galfore said.

Starfire said, "Friend Edward has taught himself our language."

"Impressive," Galfore said, "What else does he do?"

Edward increased his overall size to match Galfore.

"He is what Earthlings call a Dragon," Starfire said, "He is like friend Beast Boy."

"That's the short version," Edward said in a much deeper voice, "We're here to help, sire. Koriand'r has helped our planet and it was time we Titans helped you, to repay a debt owed."

Galfore smiled, "It is good that you are here, but, what can you do?"

"You'd be surprised," Raven said, "but, may we come in for a while to rest before daylight?"

"Of course," Galfore said, "When Princess Starfire told us you were coming, we readied rooms for you all. Forgive me, but, we're not able to throw a feast for you."

"That's quite all right, sire," Edward replied, "We've brought rations from Earth, just in case." Robin had ordered several cases of Army MREs and stored them in the cargo compartment of the T-ship, just in case of a situation when the team was away from home for a while. There was even some straight vegetarian items for Beast Boy as well.

Galfore summoned several servants and had them take the Titans to the guest quarters, except Starfire who had her own room.

The rooms were spacious in their own right. Galfore was kind enough to allow the couples to have their rooms and Cyborg was given space of his own.

Edward and Raven looked at their room and was pleasantly surprised at the size.

"Certainly built with Tamaranian sizes in mind," Edward said with a smile as he returned to his normal size.

"We should get some sleep, dear," Raven suggested, "Daylight here comes pretty quick."

"Hope I can sleep, Rae," Edward said, "that fight to just get here was intense."

"The bed is big enough for the both of us," Raven said, "I trust you."

"I know, Rae," he said laying down.

"Turn over," she requested. Edward complied, of course.

He felt her lithe fingers gently massaging the kinks out of his shoulders and eventually his back. Edward smiled to himself as his eyes closed under Raven's touch.

It didn't take long before he was softly snoring. Raven leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"Sleep well, love," she said softly and laid down next to her fiancée. She was fast asleep moments later.

**[Beast Boy and Terra****]**

A similar situation was taking place in another part of the castle. But, it was Terra who was tense. Beast Boy gently rubbed her shoulders and felt just how tense she had become.

"It's going to be OK, Terra," Beast Boy said.

"Is it, Garfield?" she challenged, "We're on another world, the T-Ship is out of power till tomorrow and facing an invasion led by Star's sister of all people! The main force will be here tomorrow."

"We've gotten through worse," Beast Boy replied.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Well, Raven's dad invaded, for one," he said.

"How bad was that?" she asked.

"Way bad," Beast Boy said, "As in the End of Days type bad. Hon, we shouldn't even be here talking about it. But, we somehow got through it."

"True," Terra admitted. She was slowly starting to relax.

"I was scared out there," she admitted.

"So was I," he said, "Those fighters were tough."

"And I'm just an amateur at this," she said.

"So is Edward, hon," Beast Boy replied, "This is his first time on another planet, unless you count his kidnapping."

"But, he still saw I was in trouble," she objected.

"He's got the flight experience and was able to keep the big picture in mind. The T-Ship's new AI was also helping you," Beast Boy countered, "It was actually helping all of us. Once it's fully charged again, it will help in the fight tomorrow."

"How long before daylight?" she asked.

"A couple of hours," he guessed, "I don't know how time is measured here."

Terra yawned as her eyes drooped and finally closed. Her breathing evened out as she fell asleep. Like Raven in the other room, Beast Boy gave his girl a soft kiss and laid down beside her in kitten form.

**[Cyborg]**

Cyborg was worried. The T-Ship was very low on power and until morning, it would be impossible to get it airborne. He had deployed solar panels that were barely able to get a charge from Tamaran's two moons. Once the local star rose, the panels would start to fully recharge the power packs on board.

He found a power outlet in the wall and designed himself a plug to recharge his own batteries, something he would been needing for the coming battle.

"I wish the others were here to help," he said aloud, not expecting a reply. None of them knew that reinforcements were heading to Tamaran as he sat there thinking about things and making plans.

As he recharged, his human eye drooped and he fell asleep as well.

**[Starfire]**

Meanwhile, Starfire was already angry. She was angry that her home planet was being attacked and angrier that her own sister is leading the effort, all because Starfire had the audacity to not only beat Blackfire in honorable combat, but, tossed Blackfire off world.

Under the law, an exile could only be lifted by a pardon granted by the Emperor and to return without permission would merit death, even to a former holder of the throne who was defeated in that battle.

Starfire knew that Blackfire hated her. There was always that friction, sadly. But, after both went through their respective growing pains, Blackfire wanted to lord it over Starfire. Blackfire was the cool, groovy one that understood Earth customs, whereas, Starfire still had problems at times. Then again, Starfire was more intelligent than people thought, just more naïve at times. Robin and the other Titans took that in stride and were teaching her.

But, deep down, she was also saddened. She knew that once her sister set foot on Tamaran, she could be sentenced to death at the discretion of the Emperor. Starfire hoped…no, she was praying to X'Hal that Galfore would show mercy. He had raised both when they were little girls as a k'norfka should, with love and a firm hand.

A knock on her door revealed Galfore there. Starfire flew up and gave him a hug.

"Koriand'r, my little _bumgorf_, you are troubled," he said in Tamaranian.

"I am worried," she said, "Why has sister wanted to attack Tamaran? Why does she hate me so?"

"I don't know," he replied, "Komand'r was always headstrong and jealous. She was supposed to be 2nd in line for the throne and when your parents made you the 2nd in line, she swore revenge then."

Starfire shed a tear at that one. A major piece of her life puzzle fell into place.

"It's going to be all right, Koriand'r," Galfore said, picking Starfire up. Starfire was fighting her emotions and wasn't really successful. That was the "curse" of being driven by emotion.

But, then, Starfire was in the arms of her K'norfka and that was supposed to make everything all right. She felt safest there, just like she felt as a little girl. Robin was a close 2nd, though, and Galfore was wise enough to see that.

"I'm not going to let them put me back into being a slave," she said, "Friend Edward would tear them apart."

"Is he as strong as you?" Galfore asked.

"He is much stronger than he looks," Starfire said, "He won't let Blackfire or the Citadel take me."

"We'll see, Koriand'r," Galfore said.

Starfire was puzzled by that statement.

But, what happened next shocked the young princess.

Before she could react, she was grabbed by two burly guards and her hands and upper arms were restrained.

"What is the mean…" she started to yell and was silenced by one of the guards.

They dragged her out of the room and down the hallway, her protests muffled but, her panic was reaching a certain empath.

Raven snapped awake and knew something bad was happening. She immediately turned to wake Edward.

[Wake up! Something's happening!] she said via the link.

That got his eyes opened in an instant.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm sensing a sudden panic from Starfire!" she said.

*That* got Edward out of bed and to the door. He approached the door and discovered it was sealed.

"Oh no you don't!" he snarled and leveled a massive punch to the door, denting it, but, it held.

He morphed to his mini-dragon form and slammed into the door again. It bulged outward from the impact. Edward slammed into it a third time, and, this time, it toppled to the ground.

He turned and saw the guards manhandling Starfire as they ran.

They didn't see Edward's eyes start glowing a dangerous, angry red as he morphed again to a cheetah and gave chase. It only took a few seconds for Edward to catch up and leap at the closest guard, morphing back to his human form in the process.

The impact knocked the guard to his knees. Before he had a chance to react, his face met a ham sized fist and down he went, out cold.

The other guard, with Starfire over his shoulder, turned and drew his weapon. He saw Edward morph back to his Dragon form and the spine ridges lit up a brilliant white.

The now enemy spear flew towards Edward, only to shatter on Edward's scales.

"My turn!" Edward loosed a roar and unleashed his lightning. The guard slammed against the wall on impact and dropped Starfire in the process.

She got up and eyes blazing, she unleashed her eyebeams on the guard as well, ensuring that he was out cold.

Edward looked at the handcuffs and said, "Let's see how they withstand my full strength, shall we?"

He grabbed them and applied pressure to one side of them, pulling them apart slowly. The problem was the end pieces were also holding the rest together and that was keeping the handcuffs from coming apart.

Edward asked, "Any way to get these end pieces off?"

Raven had arrived by then and said, "Brute force won't get these apart, dear. These are the same kind of handcuffs that Star had on when we met her. If we can get those end pieces off, though…"

"Can we force the lock to spring open?" Edward asked.

"It is most difficult," Starfire said and started sobbing.

Edward gathered the betrayed princess in his arms and asked, "What happened?"

"Galfore," she said and broke down completely.

Edward asked gently, "He betrayed you?"

Starfire nodded.

"Get the others," Edward told Raven.

Raven nodded and teleported. A few moments later, she came back with sleepy eyed Titans.

"Galfore's with the enemy," Edward snarled. That got the others wide awake.

"No way!" Beast Boy said.

"Yes way!" Edward snarled, "You remember these handcuffs, right?"

"Oh, man!" Cyborg said, "We don't have a pick for that lock like the first time."

"Oh, don't worry," Edward said angrily, "We'll find the key. Search those guards first."

Cyborg and Beast Boy did that, but, found nothing.

"OK," Edward said, "Time to search this castle. Starting with the throne room.

"Terra, shake things up a bit, please."

Terra nodded and her entire body started to glow as her powers were about to be given free reign. A few moments later, the ground started to quake hard. They heard the rest of the guards scrambling for a place to hide. Some made the mistake of running towards the Titans and drew their weapons.

Cyborg powered up his sonic cannon as the others readied for a fight. Beast Boy went to one of the alien animals, Raven's hands glowed black, Star's eyes were still blazing and Terra turned towards the threat.

"Titans, GO!" Cyborg said.

The guards charged as did the Titans. Cyborg fired his cannon as Raven and Starfire combined their powers. Edward's lightning breath fired again. The attacks combined into a destructive force that slammed into the guards, knocking several out.

One guard managed to sound a general alarm, though.

"The prisoners have escaped!" the guard yelled into his microphone.

"Prisoners?" Edward asked in disbelief.

"Time to kick the butt!" Starfire said, "My hands might be cuffed, but, my eyes are not!"

[There has to be a reason for this,] Edward groused via the link.

[Well,] Raven replied, [knowing you, you're going to find out.]

[Damn straight!] Edward said.

They all continued on while Edward pondered the problem with the cuffs. They had only given a little bit under even Edward's strength, that bothered him, but, he also had an idea.

"Let me see," he requested and looked at the cuffs. There was a thin line where they actually came together.

"My scales are diamond hard," he mused, "I wonder if I can get one in here and slice through the metal."

"I don't know if your scales of diamond can cut these," Starfire said.

"One way to find out, then," Edward said. A quick configuration change and he was able to remove one.

The removed scale was dragged across the middle of the cuffs and, sure enough, a thin scratch was created.

Edward smiled as he wedged the scale into the section keeping Starfire's hands from firing starbolts.

"Tell me when you feel this on you, please," he requested as he wiggled the scale back and forth.

Several long minutes later, she said, "Stop, friend Edward."

"Good," he said and gave a hard twist. The end of the shackles resisted the forces being applied, but, after a few long seconds, there was the sound of snapping metal and one end fell off.

Edward picked up the end piece and chucked it down the hallway. Then, he went to work on the other piece. It took several minutes, but, eventually, Starfire's hands were free to fire.

"Time to pay Galfore a visit," Cyborg said.

"Got that right," Raven said as she went to her half-demoness form. She wasn't happy and that was her way of showing it. Luckily, that aspect of Raven wasn't interested in hurting her human half's friends.

She teleported the team to the throne room, surprising Galfore.

"How did you get past my guards?" he thundered.

"That's irrelevant," Edward said, "Be glad I haven't killed anyone, yet. What is the meaning of this?" He held up Starfire's hands as he spoke.

"You're not in a position to ask questions, Earther," Galfore said.

Edward's eyes narrowed as they took on a dangerous glow.

"I beg to differ," he said, "I see that you betrayed this beautiful woman, and if you are not willing to talk voluntarily, I guess we will have to get the information another way.

"Rae, how do you feel about ripping the reason out of his mind?"

"Not possible," she growled, still in her demoness form "If I were to do that, it would leave him a vegetable."

"You dare challenge me?" Galfore demanded.

"I challenge _**anyone**_ who thinks slavery is proper. I challenge you for the right to free Koriand'r," Edward said, "I win, she is released and you answer my questions. I lose, and we will depart without her."

"You will not challenge him for the crown?" Starfire asked.

Edward shook his head, "No. I do not seek to be emperor over your people. I have an idea what is happening here."

"The challenge is declined," Galfore said, "I have no quarrel with you."

"That's odd," Cyborg said angrily, "Because we have a problem with you!"

"Don't you care about me?" Starfire asked.

"I'm sorry," Galfore said, "I am doing what is best for Tamaran."

Edward walked closer to the hulking Galfore and said, "Then, maybe you do not deserve to be ruler. Where I come from, a coward throws their loved ones away like this. Where I come from, a coward hands his daughter to the slave trade. A man protects his loved ones with his very life!"

Galfore responded in a different manner as he backhanded Edward across the room.

Edward morphed to his mini-dragon form and lit up his ridges. But, he reconsidered and decided not to use his breath weapons, unless Galfore opted to use starbolts. He turned and smacked Galfore hard with a tailstrike, sending him flying across the room.

Galfore rose and charged like a mad bull. That prompted Edward to roll out of the way quickly.

Galfore slammed into the wall, cracking it in the process.

The other Titans readied their weapons, just in case. This wasn't a challenge for the crown, so, the Titans were free to come to Edward's aid, should that become necessary.

Both Edward and Galfore charged at each other and locked up. Both struggled to shove the other back and Galfore discovered that Edward was stronger than his human form looked.

"Why are you doing this, Galfore?" Edward asked again.

"I can't tell you," he replied, shoving hard, but, Edward wasn't that easy to push around.

"Can't or won't?" Edward challenged, "Koriand'r has told me a lot about you. She loves you more than anything on this or any other planet. You hurt her badly, man. The other Titans were impressed with you as well in that you taught her to listen to her heart and do what is right for this world. Did that mean nothing?"

Edward shoved back and after a moment he said, "She loves you, sire. You can trust your bumgorf, can't you?"

Galfore pushed himself away from the shoving contest with a sigh.

"You are right," he said, "I withdraw."

Edward nodded, "It's all right, Titans."

Galfore hit a button on his throne and the handcuffs holding Starfire fell off.

He sat down and sighed, "I'm sorry, Koriand'r. I had no choice. I received a transmission from …"

Suddenly a Starbolt hit Galfore in the face and neck! He went down

The Titans turned toward the newcomer.

Starfire looked stunned as did the others as they turned towards the new threat…

* * *

_Well, that took a little longer to write than I planned. I'm not quite sure how many chapters are left, to be honest, and, it's weird thinking I started this 3 months ago and still haven't finished this. Then again, it's not going to set any time records.  
_

_I know I want to either start a full fledged invasion in the next chapter or two or possibly avoid this invasion totally. I know that with the Titans and at least GL heading for Tamaran, that will be interesting.  
_

_Next chapter might be a while as there are some things that have to be handled this week.  
_

_Oh...quickie note: I fixed a few typos and cleaned up some of the grammar in a few sentences to clarify what was happening...and to further hide Galfore's attacker...fir those that haven't read it, yet. I'm sure that others who read this before already know...no spoilers, please!  
_


	10. Fried, quarrel, and Terra unleashed!

**Chapter 10  
[Throne room]**

The Titans stared at the one person on Tamaran who had might dare attack Galfore to silence him: Blackfire.

Starfire flew over to Galfore, who had slumped in his throne and tried to feel for a pulse. There was one, but, it was weak.

Blackfire fired again, only to see Edward intercept the starbolt. The beam struck and he roared in pain.

His scales smoked from the impact and as Edward eyes took on a very dangerous glow the damaged scales, having done their job, fell away. What Blackfire didn't know is one aspect of how Edward was made was he would be able to absorb the properties of a starbolt.

A few moments later, his spinal ridges started glowing, but, it was a purple glow this time.

"Little miss cheap shot artist, have I got a surprise for you," Edward snarled, "You think that lightning bolt to the backside hurt…I might enjoy this one."

"Edward, why are the ridges of the spine glowing like Blackfire's bolts?" Starfire asked.

The answer came a moment later as Edward fired off his own starbolt, right at Blackfire! It struck Blackfire with a much higher intensity than either Starfire or Blackfire would use.

Blackfire flew **through** the wall.

"Since when did you know how to fire those?" Cyborg asked.

"It's part of what I am, Victor," Edward explained quickly, "I can absorb certain energies and turn them against their creator. Blackfire's energy bolts are compatible, so, I can now use this as needed."

"Galfore's dying," Raven said calmly, "That starbolt got him in a bad area."

"Can you help?" Edward asked, keeping his eyes on Blackfire.

"No," she said, "He's too big."

Edward nodded, "Titans, keep that _clorbag_ out of here whilst I tend to his wounds."

The others moved to comply as Edward morphed to a size where he could help the fallen leader.

He could see where the beams had struck and activated his healing abilities, letting his hands start glowing a pale blue at first, then, building in power until it was an intense glow.

As soon as his hands touched Galfore's neck, the healing energies burst forth, into his neck and started to mend the damage.

He heard Cyborg's sonic cannon firing as he said, "You're done enough for one day, it's our turn."

It took a few moments, but, Galfore's breathing grew stronger by the second.

A stray purple bolt flew over Edward's head and hit the wall, cracking it in the process.

"Come on, big guy," Edward said, "Just a couple more seconds!"

Edward felt Galfore's pulse and it was stronger. In fact, it was strong enough to allow his to recover on his own.

The fight was still going on and Edward returned his attention to it.

[You joining us?] Raven asked.

[And miss the party?] Edward retorted.

He heard a soft laugh through the link as he realized that the others needed him. It wasn't just Blackfire they were fighting, but, a horde of guards and other folks.

[Good as the Gordanians have joined the fighting!] Raven said.

Edward stalked through the Grand Hall and took a look at what was happening.

They had already realized that Terra was the weakest link in the team, but, Edward had figured that would happen and raced to join Beast Boy at her side.

Beast Boy was having a hard time fighting off the Gordanians and as they weren't familiar with Edward, he had a momentary advantage, that he didn't hesitate to use.

He formed a bull and charged into their ranks at full speed. Several Gordanian fighters were knocked aside into walls. Those slumped to the ground, stunned.

[Rae! Tell BB to use his dragon form!] Edward directed.

"Beast Boy!" Raven yelled, "Use your new form!"

Beast Boy had to think for a second, then, a green dragon formed.

Edward bucked several enemy fighters off his back and formed his classic mini-Dragon, sans wings.

His spinal ridges started glowing blue and a moment later the air was full of Edward's ice breath. It was the only weapon he was willing to teach Beast Boy, so, he followed up with his own ice breath. Beast Boy wasn't able to use his to the intensity that Edward could, but, combined, the two were able to put several Gordanians under a thick layer of ice.

"We gotta get this fight outside!" Cyborg yelled.

"Agreed, friend Cyborg!" Starfire said.

"Rae," Edward said, "If you'd do the honors, please."

Edward reduced down to his smaller form, to take the load off Raven's teleportation. Beast Boy did the same by forming an insect.

A moment later, they were outside and released by Raven's bubble.

"Damn!" Edward said, "and double damn!"

The local star had come up and that revealed a massive amount of fighter craft.

"I see you've found my fleet," Blackfire said from behind them.

"Why, sister?" Starfire cried.

"I want what was taken from me," she said coldly, "My revenge against you and the throne of Tamaran. Then, I will banish you, dear sister, as you banished me.

"You know I am better than you! I can outfight you, outwit you, outsmart you. Even on Earth, you admitted that."

"Yeah, but, she has chosen better friends," Cyborg said, "She had chosen those who would help her."

"Then, those that would help her are fools!" Blackfire replied.

"I wouldn't know about that, Komand'r," Edward said coldly, in Tamaranian, "You forget you gave me a new weapon."

"You don't know how to use starbolts," Blackfire said.

"I know that they are powered by righteous anger," Edward replied and his eyes took on a deadly red glow.

His spinal ridges glowed purple once more and he unleashed a barrage of starbolts at Blackfire, forcing her to dodge.

Then, she was dodging Starfire's green bolts, Cyborg's sonic cannon, Raven's magic and…Terra was finally able to let loose and she was hurling rocks and boulders at Blackfire. Beast Boy was helping by also hurling boulders at Blackfire. Blackfire took to the air to try to retreat and was intercepted by Edward, who had teleported above Blackfire and catching her off-guard, slammed her into the ground.

Edward was stunned a moment later when Blackfire forced him off. He was pushed into the air and he was forced to deploy his wings to slow his speed.

[That little _clorbag!_] Edward snarled.

[Anger is pointless,] Raven reminded him, [She wants you to get angry and make an error.]

Edward landed a moment later and now his eyes were not just their intense red, but, his scales were slowly flashing different colors.

"Dude," Beast Boy said, "I think you just managed to totally piss off our Dragon."

"Like I care!" Blackfire said.

"Sister," Starfire said, "please don't make angry friend Edward any further! You're still family! I don't want friend Edward to kill you!"

"He's a stinking Titan!" Blackfire said, "You don't kill enemies!"

"Blackfire," Raven said, "He killed my father, twice. He helped to kill another Dragon who had hurt me."

"You think that scares me," Blackfire replied, "Tamaranians are tougher than you think."

"And her Father was the most powerful being ever," Cyborg said, "You think we can stop Edward when he's that angry?"

"Enough talk!" Blackfire yelled and unleashed a major blast of starbolt power and struck Edward in the throat!

The result was a sudden, rapid flashing of his scales and a ROAR that echoed for miles.

"Oh, CRUD!" Cyborg yelled, "Titans, scatter!" Edward's spine went to a brilliant white and the air around him started crackling with power.

"Sister!" Starfire yelled, "RUN, PLEASE!"

"Nah," Edward growled, "Too late for that!"

The Titans saw electricity arcing on Edward's spines a moment before a massive lightning blast spewed forth and as Blackfire finally realized just how dangerous Edward was when provoked, she took to the air.

But, not even Blackfire could outrace the speed of light and the bolt merely arced after her.

The bolt struck Blackfire and she screamed in mortal agony.

The blast was maintained…or would have been except Starfire, fearing for her sister's life, made a painful choice: She struck Edward with her Starbolts. Not to kill, but, to distract him.

"I am sorry, friend Edward," she said in tears, "I cannot allow you to kill my sister."

Edward shook his head to clear it as he calmed down.

Blackfire crashed to the ground, badly burned, but, alive.

Cyborg quickly set his bio-scanners to Tamaranian baselines and scanned Blackfire.

"She's going to survive," he said a moment later, "But, she needs help."

"I'll do it," Raven said.

Edward had resumed his human form and said, "The hell you will! Her injuries would kill you."

"I wouldn't have to if you had listened to me!" Raven snarled, her four eyes glowing angrily.

"And I wasn't about to let Blackfire accomplish her mission!" Edward shot back.

The others were watching Edward and Raven actually arguing over treating the enemy. They stared at each other, not sure what to do.

Blackfire moaned and that got Cyborg's attention.

He rescanned her and said, "Yo! When you two are done acting like children, we have a patient to treat! HAUL YER ASSES!"

Edward glared at Cyborg and stormed over to him.

"Don't ever call me a child, Victor," he said calmly. The fact that he was so quiet about that made the others wonder if he was calm on the inside or a dangerous viper coiled.

Edward chanted Raven's mantra in his mind and turned to the patient. Blackfire had absorbed a massive jolt of electricity that overwhelmed even a Tamaranian.

"She's badly hurt," he said, "I know…stating the obvious. Raven, I'm sorry for fighting with you. I could use the help. Just promise to stop if it gets to be too hard, please."

Raven smiled softly, "Apology accepted, Dear. We're going to have to combine powers just to stabilize her, anyway."

They took hold of Blackfire's hands carefully and formed a small circle. Raven's hands had a unique blue glow, as did Edward's and the two forms of healing energy merged and started to mend Blackfire's wounds.

However, the invaders had seen Blackfire fall to Edward's lightning attack and they started moving towards the castle.

"Uhh, guys?" Terra said, "We're not out of the woods yet."

Cyborg saw their tanks and ground vehicles moving and powered up his sonic cannon.

"I got this," Terra said.

She started to glow yellow as her hair started to fly in several directions. Her eyes also were glowing yellow as her powers built up to a very high level.

She let out a scream and the castle was shaken by a strong groundquake and a crevice was ripped open around the castle. Several ground vehicles fell in, wheels spinning in the empty air. Several long seconds later, the ground shook again as 50 or more major explosions reverberated from the bottom of the new chasm. Mushroom clouds erupted a few moments later.

The ground forces were stopped for the time being, but, Terra wasn't done yet. Her training with the Titans taught her that the ground vehicles might still be dangerous.

The troopers saw hundreds of boulders lift into the air, each weighing a good 15 tons each race towards their turrets and smash into them, rendering them useless.

The ground forces were not only stopped in their tracks, but, those that relied on projectile weapons were out of action.

Terra started to waver, to find her lover there, holding her up. She smiled before passing out from the incredible strain.

Cyborg reset his scanners to Terra's baseline and after a scan said, "She'll be all right. But, no more straining to use her powers for a while. I'm afraid that if she does that trick again…" He didn't finish.

"Terra could revert back to stone?" Beast Boy asked fearfully.

"Yeah, dude," Cyborg said, "Look at her fingernails."

Sure enough, her nails had turned back to stone, each one a dull gray.

"Don't worry, they'll revert back to normal pretty soon," Cyborg said, "When we had to repair her DNA, I had a chance to examine it with the Tower's AI. As long as she doesn't totally burn herself out, this is temporary."

By then, Edward and Raven's combined powers had done all they could for Blackfire. Her pulse was stronger; her breathing shallow, but, steady.

They stood up and hugged each other.

He kissed her and that got an "Awww!" out of Beast Boy.

"Stuff it, Beast Boy!" they said at the same time. Cyborg chuckled at that one, "Thinking alike, are we?"

The invasion wasn't finished, though, as the aerial attack was inbound! Edward's enhanced vision spotted them first as he went back to his mini-Dragon form.

"Cyborg, you're with me," he said, "You, too, Raven. Beast Boy will stay with Terra until she wakes up. That way, if he has to protect Terra, he can."

As they were getting ready to fly, a sound was heard and Edward said, "Uhhh, no one on Tamaran has a motor cycle, do they?"

"No, friend Edward," Starfire replied.

"Maybe no one on this armpit of a planet has a cycle, but, the Main Man does!" a voice growled.

Lobo had arrived and he didn't look happy!

* * *

_Well, the visit from the nephew went well. He's en route to Naples (or might already be there). So, that means that I can post as often as possible._

_It typically takes a while to work on a 2,000 word chapter (or higher), so, please don't assume I'm going to cancel a story without telling you ahead of time that it's going to be dropped. But, then again, you won't be waiting for a chapter for years, either.  
_

_I have to work Lobo in here as well as the other Titans and JL members. I'm trying not to "Mary Sue" this too bad (Hence the friction between Rae and Edward, for example...or having Terra face limitations to her abilities.)  
_

_I did realize one thing...While I have some homages to my favorite shows, I didn't include Wayne Enterprises in here, so, to save time, you may safely assume that part of the technology in the Tower that predates Edward's arrival was from Bruce Wayne, and after Edward's arrival, a blend of his allies and Wayne Enterprises.  
_

_Thanks for the read, the follows, favorites and especially the REVIEWS! :)  
_


	11. Time to kick some booty!

**[Chapter 11]  
[Deep Space – an hour before.]**

Lobo was seething and for good reason. In the last several days, he was stopped by the Grand Centauri Empire. Then, jailed while the warrant was verified. As Superman had planted the seed of a possible falsified warrant, it was subjected to greater checks, but, it didn't matter, it was shown to the issuing authority and promptly voided as false.

That triggered a thorough check and the investigation quickly led to the corrupt officer. They captured him while he was trying to send a message. A warrant for the arrest of Blackfire was issued.

Lobo was steaming mad when the warden of the jail came over with his release papers and an apology for his arrest…plus prompt compensation for the false arrest and imprisonment.

But, they also gave him the news that the bounty he was drooling over was most likely faked as well and he made it clear that he was quite upset.

"No one makes a fool out of the Main Man!" he said to the guards.

"We have a lead on the person responsible," the head guard said, "Head for Tamaran and look for Blackfire. Here's the valid warrant and a bounty offer, we grant you this right in as additional compensation. No one else will be made aware of this arrangement."

He looked at the reward being offered and while it was nowhere close to what he was chasing, his anger cooled enough to agree to do this job.

"Just bring Blackfire back here," the head guard said, "Dead or Alive. We'd prefer alive, but, if an unfortunate accident happens? Oh, well. Justice is served regardless."

Lobo stormed out of the jail and retrieved his space-cycle from the impound yard and set his course towards Tamaran.

**[Between the Sol system and Tamaran.]**

The Justice League had agreed to let the Titans lead this particular mission, over Batman's minor objections. The League sent Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkgirl, and Wonder Woman to help if needed. Out of all of them, Green Lantern had given his word, so, he was bound by that to go.

The Titans had allowed Edward's son to take part in the mission, they figured that his abilities would be needed. It wasn't something they'd normally do, though. Civilians were discouraged from going, but, being Edward's son allowed David to go. It's not like they would say "No", however, David was more level headed than his Dad.

"We should be in Tamaranian space within the hour," Green Lantern said.

"Can we try to raise the others?" Robin asked.

"I'd rather not attempt it," Lantern said, "That would cost us any surprise factor."

David said, "He's right. Besides, the closer we get the more I can telepathically read my dad and Raven's thoughts."

"You read their minds?" Superman asked.

"Not totally, sir," David responded, "Unless I'm literally in the same room, can I pick up words. Most of the time, its feelings and that's limited as well. Only when my dad is pushed past the breaking point, can I sense him from a distance."

"So, the few times he's gone ballistic recently, you've detected?" Robin asked.

"Yes," David replied, "You've figured out that when his scales start going through the color scale, he's pissed, right?"

"We couldn't help but notice that," Robin said. The Titans East team while they were there, were getting a crash course in Dragon 101.

"Once he's at that stage, not many can get through to him on an intellectual level. That's when his draconic nature takes hold," David said.

"No kidding!" Robin said, reflecting back to the fight in Nevermore with Trigon's essence.

Robin spent the next 15 minutes giving the Titans East and the League a brief history of the fights when Edward had to get enraged.

"One thing, folks," he said later, "When Edward's in that state, let Raven calm him down. He truly loves her and that is what gets through his anger issues. Because of her upbringing and her unique heritage, her emotions are personified in her mind. The one that represents her love is the one that can get through to Edward."

"And you say he's not dangerous?" Superman said.

"He's only dangerous to our enemies, Superman," Robin said, "He has never hurt anyone on our team. He's pranked several, but, for good reason. Once, he pranked Cyborg over his appetite with some ultra-hot wings that he also partook of. That showed the team he was not afraid to do that if he was having another team mate do it.

"Another time was recently. Beast Boy had been caught intentionally eavesdropping. He pranked the prankster really bad." Robin was trying not to laugh at that memory. Kole didn't bother hiding her mirth and started laughing.

Gnaark had chosen to stay behind. It was one thing for him to step out into the upper world, but, when he was asked if he wanted to travel to the stars, he made his objection known by hiding in the guest quarters.

"Batman told us about that one," Wonder Woman said, "Served him right. You should have thrown that grass stain off the team. Our secret identities are secret for a reason, which you know."

"I was tempted to do that," Robin explained, "But, when Edward explained what he had planned, I approved that in exchange of suspension. Beast Boy knows that if it happens again, he's suspended and his girlfriend said that she wouldn't intervene should that need to happen."

"The geomancer?" Green Lantern asked.

"Yes," Robin said, "Her name is Terra, by the way."

"She's the one that turned to stone?" BumbleBee asked.

"The same," Robin replied, "Before you all jump down my throat, Batman taught me that people deserve a second…or third chance. Since her rescue, she's become part of the team. She's as much family as the original Titans are. She still has her moments, but, those are becoming less frequent as time goes by. Edward has spent a lot of time with her on a 'professional basis' so, I think he knows more of her past. However, until then, she leans on Beast Boy and the rest of the team to get through the rough spots. It's like part of her mind is still frightened that she'll be asked to leave or that we haven't truly forgiven her."

As they got closer to Tamaran, they saw the debris from the earlier battle: Shattered enemy vessels, engine parts, drifting bodies, etc. The two teams fell silent, mainly out of respect. Those warriors had died in battle and, for Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl, it was still an honorable death.

"Looks like the invasion forces might have landed," David said, adding his experience to the mix.

"What's that blip there?" Mas asked in Spanish.

There was a fast moving blip on the scanners also heading for the planet.

Green Lantern punched in some commands and about 30 seconds later, he replied, "It's our old friend, Lobo. He's going to beat us to the planet by about 30 minutes."

"Great," Robin said, "Hope our guys can talk some sense into him."

"They'll have to," Superman said, "With that head start, I can't even narrow it down."

"I might be able to," David replied.

"How?" Wonder Woman asked.

"I have Dad's teleportation ability, but, that means I have to know where I'm going first," he replied.

"Can you hook into the T-Ship's on board cameras?" Superman asked.

"Leave that to me," Robin replied. He had Menos move and sat down at the console.

He was able to establish a link to the T-Ship, but, as the sun had just risen, there wasn't enough power on board to allow for a transmission of more than a few seconds.

"How much of a view do you need?" Robin asked.

"If I can get a five second peek, that should be enough," David replied.

"There's only enough for maybe 2 seconds," Robin said, "The solar panels are deployed, but, with the moons only throwing a little light, it is like a battery charger on a trickle charge. The local star will rise on where the guys are shortly."

"That's good," Green Lantern said, "I'm picking up something strange from near the castle. There's an earthquake in progress, but, Tamaran is geographically stable and has been for millions of years."

Robin smiled, "Then, that would be Terra's doing. For some reason, she's tapping into her powers already. Any electrical discharges?"

"Not that we can detect, yet," Superman said. He stared out the window for a few moments.

"My telescopic vision isn…Wait a second!" he continued on.

"Looks like Raven teleported through to the outside. She's got the other Titans with her. But, the sun has come up there and the palace is surrounded already.

"Blackfire has found them as well. Wait! Does Edward know how to use purple energy?"

"No," Robin said, "Why?"

"He does now," Superman replied, "He, Starfire, Cyborg, and the others have Blackfire dodging. OK, Blackfire just tried to fly up. Ouch! She just got pounded into the floor by Edward. Edward just got thrown off and deployed his wings.

"His scales are going to different colors now."

"Oh boy!" Robin said, "That means Edward's angry. It's a warning sign actually. Beast Boy explained that since Edward's reptilian in nature, if his scales start that, he's still capable of rational thought. It's when they go faster, then, there's a problem."

"Well, then, there's a problem," Superman replied, "He just got hit with a cheap shot and the scales are in rapid flashing. The other Titans are withdrawing! His spinal ridges are glowing an almost blinding white. I can barely detect electricity arcing."

"That's new to me," Robin said, "He's extremely angry now, and, I think he's charging up for a massive lightning strike! He knows Tamaranians are almost as tough as you."

"He's firing!" Superman said, "Blackfire's trying to dodge, but…serious OUCH! The lightning is hitting her hard. He's maintaining fire.

"Hold on, Starfire's attacked him!"

"Don't worry," Robin said, "Edward gave Star permissions to do that if needed. She must have been worried Edward would kill Blackfire. Starfire still loves Blackfire."

"That's good as she looks badly injured," Superman said, concern in his voice, "Cyborg's scanning her.

"Edward's gone back to his human form. Looks like he and Raven are arguing."

"That's a first!" Robin said, "They've never argued. Guess Edward's still angry.

"Then again, Raven's an empath, she might want to heal Blackfire and Edward's objecting to it. No idea, though."

"Doesn't matter," Superman said, "Cyborg just got their attention. Edward and Raven are moving towards Blackfire. Looks like they have to combine powers. They are working on healing Blackfire together."

Robin smiled, "Their first spat and already putting it behind them." He nodded in approval.

"They have a problem," Superman continued, "The ground forces are moving. Wait a moment…Terra's glowing yellow."

"Hands or…" Bumblebee said.

"Her whole body is glowing," Superman said, "Great Shades of Elvis! The ground just split open. Several ground forces have fallen in. Now, there's major explosions occurring."

"Terra's been wanting to really test her limits," Robin said, "I think this counts!"

"Not just that, she's smashing other tanks with large boulders," Superman said.

"I hate to interrupt," Green Lantern said, "Lobo's in the atmosphere and heading for the castle. He'll be there momentarily."

"Great," Robin said.

Superman smiled, "Edward and Raven just kissed and made up. But, Terra's down."

Robin said, "Is she ok? Last time she overexerted herself, she was petrified."

"She's still flesh and blood, but, Cyborg and Beast Boy are looking at her fingernails. I can't see that closely from here," Superman said.

"Great!" he continued, "Lobo just arrived…"

**[Castle]**

The Titans looked as Lobo approached them, looking ticked. He landed his cycle and said, "Whoever is responsible for this will be answering to the Main Man!"

Edward reverted back to human and asked, "And you are?"

"Name's Lobo, creature," he said.

"My name is Edward Barnes," Edward replied, "I'll thank you not to call me a creature. We're a little busy here, so, state your purpose."

Lobo replied, "I'm here to take Blackfire of Tamaran back to answer for her crimes against the Grand Centauri Empire and for making a fool out of the Main Man! Now, are you going to hand her over or do I tear you apart?!"

"Easy, Lobo," Edward said, "We're on the same side, looks like. You help us out, and, we'll gladly hand her over, no questions asked."

"How can I trust you?" Lobo said.

"I just gave you my word of honor," Edward explained, "I won't go back on that. My word, to me, is a sacred bond."

"He's correct, friend Lobo," Starfire replied.

"I'm not your friend!" Lobo snarled, "But, your terms are acceptable. I want to see the prisoner first."

Edward pointed to the still unconscious Blackfire. She'd be out cold for hours anyway.

"Your cycle have weapons?" Cyborg asked, "If it does, might be time to warm them up as we have incoming!"

Edward returned to his mini-Dragon form and said, "Same assignments as before."

Terra stirred then and Edward looked at her for a moment.

"Can you fight?" Edward asked gently. Terra nodded, "I should be OK."

"Look at your nails, sweetheart," Beast Boy said. She looked and gasped, "On second thought…"

"Soon as your nails revert back, contact us," Cyborg ordered, "BB, you hang with her. We need someone to watch Blackfire, anyway. She wakes up, she goes nowhere."

"Gotcha," he said.

Edward waited until Cyborg and Raven were aboard. It was just in time as the air units were in range!

Edward took to the air and said, "Light em up!"

Edward made some minor alterations to his form to protect his girlfriend and, of course, Cyborg.

They heard Lobo's cycle pulling up and then passing them up.

"Try to keep up with the Main Man!" he challenged.

The airborne fighters started firing.

"I won't be able to warn you of teleportation!" Edward said as he changed his scales to silver.

"We'll be fine, dawg!" Cyborg said.

Edward dodged the weapon fire and returned fire with the lightning breath. He didn't say anything, but, he was glad Starfire had fired on him when she did. He might have been out of lightning.

Some fighters were hit with the lightning and they fell to the ground, shorted out. They exploded on contact. Edward did see parachutes, or whatever they were using in their ejection seats to prevent a quick, albeit, gruesome death.

He saw Lobo opening fire with his weapons, knocking other fighters out of the air. From Edward's perspective, Lobo was a wild card. But, he didn't have time to ponder Lobo's methods anyway as he dodged another volley.

Cyborg's sonic cannon fired, hitting an enemy fighter. The fighter spun out of control, taking another fighter with it.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven said, focusing her powers and using them to capture and crush several fighters.

Edward fired starbolts this time. He wasn't sure if the effect was temporary or not, so, he wanted to use it as long as possible. It was a good decision as those hit several fighters, but, missed others.

Then, Starfire was using her starbolts and eye beams as well, taking out several fighters.

The fighting continued for over an hour but, it was taking a toll on the biological fighters. Even Edward was tiring, his reflexes slowing the longer that the fight continued. It was a matter of time before something happened.

Lobo was actually getting a good workout, though. He was in full bloodlust by then and slicing his way through the enemy ships. He wasn't concerned about getting hit by weapons fire.

But, finally, Edward took several hard hits, including some head shots.

Both Raven and Cyborg watched in horror as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and they plummeted to the ground.

"EDWARD!" Starfire screamed and raced to catch him before he slammed into the ground.

As she raced to her friend, an emerald green sphere formed around Edward, Raven and Cyborg. That was gently lowered to the ground.

The Justice League had arrived with the other Titans just in the nick of time.

Green Lantern lowered his construct and that allowed the out cold Edward to hit the ground.

"BOYFRIEND ROBIN!" Starfire yelled in glee and landed. She gave Robin a hug.

"Nice to see you too, Starfire," Robin said, clearly sounding pained. She released him.

"How is Edward?" Robin asked, cutting to the chase.

"He should be fine in a moment," Cyborg replied.

Raven didn't respond. She was focusing on the link, instead.

[Edward, hon?] she called out. Nothing but silence from the other end. That didn't overly concern Raven as yet. The one time the link had been actually snapped, she couldn't feel him at all. She still sensed his mental presence and that was a relief to her in the long run.

She kept calling every few moments to see if he was going to be out for a while or if he was fighting his way back already.

On the fifth time, he responded, [Damn, anyone get the num…Rae! You guys OK?]

[We're fine, love. The Justice League arrived. Green Lantern caught you and us,] she replied.

[Tell him the drinks are on me,] he said.

"He's all right," Raven said aloud, "He said to tell Green Lantern that 'the drinks are on me.'"

"I don't drink on duty," Green Lantern replied.

"You guys should help," Cyborg said.

"Don't worry," Green Lantern said, "The others in the League and Titans are already in the fight. Flash and Kid Flash are mopping up the ground forces along with those two other speedsters. Superman, Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman are knocking fighters down as we speak. Lobo's cooperating as well. Your Titans East flyer, BumbleBee is holding up pretty well, but, it looks like she's heading our way for a moment."

"You brought the Titans East?" Cyborg asked.

"Damn straight, Sparky!" BumbleBee replied, flying down and giving Cyborg a hug.

"Missed us?" Cyborg quipped.

"You might say that," she replied neutrally, but, the smile betrayed her anyway.

[Anything broken?] Edward asked.

"Edward wants to know if anything's broken," Raven relayed.

"I'm all right, but, let me try to scan him," Cyborg replied. He set his arm for Edward's baseline in dragon form and tried to scan. As he and Raven were still somewhat stuck, the scan didn't show much.

"Please, tell me you were pulling my leg when you said you didn't read my blueprints, Bee," he said.

"I know enough that you can detach that arm long enough for me to scan your friend here," Bee said.

"Thanks!" Cyborg replied. He detached the arm and said, "Just give Edward a quick once over. He should be OK, though."

Bumblebee flew around Edward, allowing Cyborg's arm to do its work. She returned 5 minutes later and Cyborg reattached it.

"He's exhausted," Cyborg said, "Nothing broken."

[You're exhausted, dear,] Raven relayed, [Nothing broken, but, we're kind of stuck here.]

[Sorry,] he said and woke up long enough to return to a smaller form, releasing Raven and Cyborg at the same time.

He staggered to his feet.

"Man, what the hell hit me?" he said. He did a double-take.

"David?" Edward asked.

"Yeah, it's me, dad," he said with a grin, "You going to be OK?"

"Just need some rest, my son," Edward said, "But, I might be out of this one for a while."

"No kidding, pop," David said, morphing into his mini-Dragon form, "Go rest, please. You've earned it."

"Boy's right," Hawkgirl said as she landed. Edward morphed back to human.

"You're Hawkgirl?" Edward asked. She nodded.

"A pleasure to meet you," he said and held out his hand. She clasped his forearm instead. He returned the grip.

"A warrior's grip," she commented, "You honor me."

Edward nodded humbly, "The honor is mine."

David asked, "Should I take Cyborg and Raven?"

"Only if they want to," Edward replied.

"I'm wasted," Cyborg said, looking at his power meter. It was dangerously low, unfortunately. He needed to recharge.

"I'm done as well," Raven replied, "I need to meditate and sleep."

"I'll contact Terra and Beast Boy," Cyborg said and opened a channel.

"You guys up for the fight?" Cyborg asked.

"Terra's ready," Beast Boy replied, "Her nails returned to normal a while ago. She was able to nap a little bit as well."

"That's good," Cyborg said, "Edward, Raven and I are tapped out. Listen, I am going to have to trust you with my baby. Fly the T-Ship here, it should be almost charged up by now. Let the AI pilot it, you got that?"

"Got it," Beast Boy said and signed off.

10 minutes later, the T-ship was able to land. The pods opened as Beast Boy and Terra came out. Luckily for them, the fighting was turning towards the Justice League and the Titans, allowing the T-Ship to make it's way over.

"All right!" Cyborg cheered as he got in, "Power levels at 65% and climbing. I can plug in and recharge in a bit. Edward, you and Raven can climb aboard and get some rest."

They did just that as Cyborg plugged in. He darkened the windows to 25% and within minutes, the three were sleeping soundly.

Meanwhile, the Justice League, Lobo, and Titans East were fighting hard against the more skilled fighters that had survived thus far. The flyers in the group were handling the airborne fighters and while Superman and Lobo took direct hits, the effect was the same as throwing a snowball against the _USS Enterprise_ for all the good it did. Green Lantern was using various constructs to knock fighters out of the air and still deflect weapons fire. Hawkgirl had her mace fully charged and was knocking fighters around left and right, the energy shorting out the fighters as effectively as Edward's lightning. Wonder Woman was having her share of fun as well with the enemy fighters.

David Barnes was also using his lightning breath to kill off the fighters, shorting them out and he had learned from Edward to alter his scales to a mirror finish to reflect those energy attacks. At times, he landed to help handle the ground forces. For that, he and Kole teamed up. She explained that she can't be hurt in her crystal form and how when her and Gnarrk had to fight, she'd use her crystal form as a boomerang with Gnarrk doing the throwing. David readily agreed to that and quite a few ground troops were treated to the David-Kole team.

Flash, Kid Flash and Más Y Meños were racing through the remaining ground troops and disabling the vehicles that Terra couldn't get to before she passed out. Terra, had recovered enough to also bury vehicles or plug their weapons with stones, rocks, sand. Basically whatever Terra needed to use, got used. Several tanks exploded as their gunners didn't realize that their turrets had been clogged up.

Within the next hour, the fighting was over and Tamaran had been saved.

Robin felt out of place, though. He knew in this sort of fight, he was outnumbers, outmatched and outgunned. He sighed to himself as the fighting slowly came to an end.

Finally, though, the commander of the invasion forces called for a general retreat back to their homeworld…in effect abandoning Blackfire.

The Justice League, Lobo, and both Titan teams regrouped at the T-Ship as the enemy troops retreated. Those that could walk would be captured and eventually returned to their home planets.

Terra would have to rest for at least 48 hours before she could even think about closing the gap in the ground completely, but, she agreed to create several land bridges to allow the population to have access to their leadership.

"Good work," Superman said, "It was a long flight here and a long fight for everyone."

"Where's my prisoner?" Lobo said, "I didn't frag everything in sight to have her escape."

"She's under wraps," Beast Boy said, "Before we flew over, Terra made sure that Blackfire couldn't escape. She's at the base of the castle, pinned there by more than enough dirt and rocks to prevent her escape."

"She is unharmed?" Starfire asked.

"She was still out when I secured her, Starfire," Terra said smugly.

By then Raven, Edward and Cyborg had emerged from the T-Ship to see the fighting had ended.

"I'm not surprised," Edward said, "She absorbed one of my rare mega-blasts and even with Raven and I working to heal her…she's still hurt. I try not to use those as it does drain my reserves.

"Thank you, Star, though."

"Why?" she asked.

"I probably would have just kept the blast going until your sister had been killed. You took a risk in attacking me," he said.

"I couldn't let you kill my sister. She's still family, but, she needs to be returned to justice alive," Star said, "You are not the angry with me?"

Edward walked over to the princess and putting his arm around her shoulder said, "No, I'm not. Did I not give you the permission to do that if you had to?"

Starfire nodded, "You did."

"Let it go, then, Koriand'r," he advised her in her language, "You did the right thing. You also stopped my reserves from being drained completely."

She gave him a hug as thanks.

The Tamaranian ground forces had arrived by then and were rounding up the stragglers of the battle.

They needed to check on Galfore as well, so, the teams split up. Cyborg had the non-flyers in the T-Ship, Edward carried Raven, Kole opted to ride with David, everyone else that needed a ride got one from Green Lantern.

They all headed for the palace, save for Lobo. He wanted his bounty and, as promised, Blackfire was cemented in, but, wide awake and angrier than ever.

"Now, missy," Lobo said, "Looks like your little invasion got fragged. I have some papers here from the Grand Centauri Empire that say you're under arrest. You remember them, right? You tried to get them to frag the Main Man. You made a fool out of me as well, so, I get to haul your sweet ass back to face them and they said: 'dead or alive'. They prefer to have you alive, but, if something happens and I deliver your rotting corpse instead, they wouldn't care is an 'unfortunate accident' happened. I get paid regardless."

"I'll pay you double to let me go!" Blackfire said.

"Your credits are worthless to the Main Man!" Lobo snarled and looked at how to release Blackfire, but, keep her under wraps.

"Maybe I can help," Terra said, gliding on a boulder.

"You sure can," Lobo said.

Terra's hands glowed and a moment later, the mound Blackfire was trapped in lifted out of the ground. Terra moved the mound into the waiting hands of the bounty hunter.

"The Main Man appreciates your help," he said, "Tell your friend 'Thanks', as well." He secured Blackfire to the back of the cycle and roared skywards without another word.

"Good riddance," Terra said, referring to Blackfire.

She got back on her borrowed boulder and headed inside that way. Terra was pleased with herself. She had exerted her powers to the max and came away with stone fingernails that had already returned to normal. It had taken her months to get to this point in her recovery and with this test passed in her eyes, she made another decision. It was time to tell the team her real story. She'd do that when they got back and had a few days to recover.

Terra went to find the others and wasn't too surprised to hear that they were in the throne room.

She located Beast Boy and stood beside her best friend.

Galfore looked like he was still recovering and said, "Thank you, friends and allies of Tamaran. We will have a feast in your honor at moonrise tonight. For now, please, enjoy the hospitality that awaits you.

"I do want to say something to my _bumgorf_ Koriand'r. I am deeply sorry for how you were treated last night and while I do not deserve your pardon, I humble myself and apologize."

Starfire had tears streaming down her face as she approached Galfore.

In fact she was so saddened, her flight powers were gone then.

"May I?" Edward asked her and went to his winged human form, getting an eyebrow raised from Hawkgirl.

"Please," Starfire said. Edward cradled Starfire and took to the air long enough for Galfore to take her in an embrace. Edward landed and returned to the crowd.

The sound of Starfire's sobbing into Galfore's huge shoulder broke everyone's hearts.

The heroes filed off without a word, leaving the two royals to start the healing process in privacy.

They all headed to their rooms and within a short time, the Titans were all asleep. The Justice League members also took the time to relax and nap.

All was safe.

* * *

_D'OH! When I was previewing this chapter, noticed a glaring error...as in a sentence that went nowhere fast. That's been repaired and expanded on. Sorry about that. (ArizonaHawk711...You want a job as beta reader? You seem to be my biggest FF fan based on the reviews ya leave...Or maybe Kbunny10, if you have time?)  
_

_Down to the wire, folks. One more chapter left (to get the guys and gals home). I tried to portray Lobo close to how he is in his appearances on Justice League. I know the comics version is a lot more bloodthirsty (He did frag his own planet.)_

_I was going to add a "temporary" character to here and let Lobo frag his rudy-poo candy-ass. One of my readers, KBunny10, asked me not to. Out of a mutual respect, writer to writer, I acceded to her wishes. I will recommend that you read her stuff. It's well written and she has a great grasp of the Titans. Her Titan OC, Nix, is a hydrokinetic, and, that's pretty cool in my book. If you're more of a BBRae fan, her version of that pairing is quite nice.  
_

_Don't get me wrong, here, folks. I love the BBRae pairing as much as the BBTerra pairings. I had considered the BBRae pairing in "Dragon and the Titans", but, as I was bringing Terra back into play as well, I had to make a choice. I realized that BB and Raven tended to squabble more like siblings do sometimes. I also, after watching the Terra episodes, knew that BB loved Terra from the beginning and that while it took a bit of time, Terra did feel the same (why do you think she removed him from the tower?)  
_

_BTW...the next story is already in the prologue stages. Any guesses where I'm heading next...and NO looking at my profile...that be cheating and Edward might zap a cheater...  
_

_Any thoughts to a David Barnes and Kole pairing? I'm giving that some thought. I know..."What about JeriKole as in the comics?" We have to remember that in the comics, Kole spun crystal and while Jericho was off planet helping with the Blackfire problem, Kole was killed. As I'm using the cartoon version of Kole, I see Jericho and Kole as probable friends :)  
_

_Take care!  
_


	12. Team returns home finally

**Conclusion  
[That night]**

The Justice League and Titans were, indeed, treated to a "feast" in their honor. Sadly for several of the Titans, the food was Tamaranian and they were wary of it.

Edward was one of those that was able to enjoy it, as well as his son, Cyborg (for the most part), Terra, and the Justice League members.

The goblets were the largest Edward had ever seen and filled with some sort of Tamaranian drink. Galfore raised a toast to his new friends.

"Well," Edward said, "Looks like to drink this, I have to adapt a bit." He chuckled and morphed to a variation of his mini-dragon form that did not require the use of his wings.

David also had to morph to taste the drink and after Galfore thanked his new friends, they drank.

Edward took a long drink and when he was done, commented, "An interesting taste. It's actually pleasing."

David tasted his and said, "I can't place the taste, either, but, it's quite good."

The other stronger members of both teams were able to take a drink and they were impressed.

The core Titans, though, were still wary of the native drink, but, they managed.

The food was brought out and while the Tamaranians, Hawkgirl, Superman, the two dragons and Cyborg were chowing down, the others were left in the dust.

"Guys," Edward advised, "This might not be my cooking, but, it's a long flight home. Might as well try to eat. It's not as bad as you'd think."

Beast Boy held up a dark blue with purple item and said, "Does this look vegetarian to you?"

"It wasn't bad last time, BB," Cyborg said.

Edward took it and said, "Tastes like sushi mixed with ice cream!" Terra choked before busting out laughing!

"That's what Glorg tastes like to me!" she said giggling.

Well, while the Titans and the others were not impressed with the table manners, it wasn't their place to say anything. They did try a few things, mainly to be polite.

Edward tried something with what appeared to be worms in it and Cyborg said, "NO!"

By then, though, Edward had consumed some of it and turned greener than Beast Boy!

"Excuse me," he managed to get out and raced for the nearest window, David and Raven trying to keep up. They saw Edward's wings emerge as he crashed through the window to the outside air.

Raven and David also leapt out and saw Edward heading to the gorge that Terra had yet to close.

[Ew!] Raven said as Edward landed and proceeded to lose the contents of his stomach.

"Damn!" David said, "I've never seen Dad get ill like this."

It took several long minutes but, finally, Edward was able to stop "praying to Ralph".

"No more Tamaranian food for me," he groused, "I haven't gotten sick like this in centuries. Ugh!"

By then, the other core Titans had arrived. Starfire looked saddened.

She went over to Edward and hugged his rather long neck.

"You all right, friend Edward?" she asked.

"I was until I ate that pie. What in X'hal's name is in there?" Edward asked.

Starfire told him and Cyborg said, "I feel your pain, dawg. I ate it and also was praying to Ralph for a while."

Edward didn't have the heart to get angry. His stomach was still doing weird gyrations.

Superman landed besides Edward and said, "Drink this. I had a feeling that someone would end up ill."

"What is it?" Edward asked.

"Real Ginger ale," Superman said. Edward morphed and drank the contents of the bottle. Within a few moments, Edward felt like a switch had been turned off as the spasms stopped.

"Whew!" he said, "Thanks, Superman."

"You're welcome," he replied.

Edward reached into his pocket and handed Superman a couple of dollars, "For the remedy," he said.

"Keep it," Superman said with a smile, "It's on the League."

Edward wasn't going to quibble with the Man of Steel. He nodded and said, "Fine with me."

They headed back in and apologized to their host. Galfore was understanding about it so the matter was dropped.

The teams headed back to their quarters and went back to bed.

Edward was getting a massage from Raven and the subject turned from the recent activities and towards their impending wedding.

"You know," Raven said, "We still have to get the wedding invitations out. Do you know who we should invite?"

"Well, all the Titans, core group or honorary," Edward said, "the Justice League as they are allies. I don't want this turning into a circus, though. Maybe one or two trusted members of the press."

"What about the remaining members of my order?" Raven asked.

"I would like the monks who have been taking care of the children there, but, I have no objection to those of your order who want to come," Edward replied.

Raven smiled and gave him a chaste kiss, "Thanks, sweetie!"

They fell asleep later, though. In fact, had Beast Boy flown through all the rooms as an insect, he would have seen everyone sound asleep. But, Beast Boy was next to his lithe girlfriend, both sleeping.

**[Next morning]**

Both teams had politely declined breakfast citing the need to get back to Earth.

The Justice League provided transportation for the Titans East and the T-Ship was given to the core Titans, meaning that Terra and Edward were catching a ride with the League. Edward didn't mind as it gave him time to get to know some members of the League better.

Terra was worried, though. The League members were wary of the young terrakinetic as they knew her history from Robin. Batman had gotten a good read on Terra, though, when she defeated Clayface several weeks ago and he was satisfied that she was no longer a threat to his former ward's team.

They left Tamaran shortly before high sun and headed home. Terra had taken the time to create several land bridges to cross over to the castle, hence the delay.

The Justice League members finally got to see Terra let loose with her abilities and when the land bridges were completed, she was feeling a little light headed, but, no petrification issues this time around.

As they broke orbit, Superman said, "That was a good job back there. I'm impressed."

"Thank you," Edward replied.

"Edward, can I talk to you in private?" Superman asked.

Edward stood up and said, "After you."

They headed towards a room and after Superman opened the door, they went in.

"There's a couple of things I would like to talk to you about," he said, "I might as well get the not so good part out of the way."

Edward winced inside, even he knew that when the Man of Steel needed to say something he didn't want to hear, there was a reason.

"We're concerned, Edward," Superman said, "The League has been keeping an eye on you for a long time and while we're convinced that you are on our side, we're worried about your recent anger issues. We'd like to help you, if you'd let us.

"We're concerned that at some point, you might actually kill someone without meaning to. Robin's got that 'No Kill' rule on the Titans for a reason. It's something that Batman insisted on the League adopting as well. I'm also in agreement here."

"Whoa!" Edward said, "Something that the League might not be aware of here. Outside of self-defense, I will only use the amount of force necessary to cope with a threat. Sometimes, yes, that includes lethal force. When Raven was attacked by her first love, I tried not to kill him or have him killed in this instance. Had he accepted the butt kicking he received from me in Raven's mind and gone elsewhere, I would have let it go. Malchior would not have stopped, though.

"Trigon was a lethal threat to the planet, Superman. He kidnapped me, tortured me physically, mentally and emotionally. He almost subverted Raven. I have no regrets about taking him out for good.

"If you've studied me, it wasn't that good. I do my best to preserve human life, even though I AM A DRAGON! You do the same even though you are from Krypton. Starfire doesn't like the idea of killing and she's from a planet of warriors. Superman, I could have been absolute ruler of the Earth hundreds of years ago. I chose to hide what I am for most of my life because I didn't want to go down that dark path. That's why I fight for freedom. Freedom for Tamaran in this case, freedom of a dear friend. Freedom for my fiancée as well."

"Blackfire didn't need to be blasted to the point that her sister had to intervene," Superman said sternly.

"Tamaranians are quite hardy, as you know," Edward replied, "but, you're right. That's not an excuse, and I apologize."

"Thank you for that," Superman said, "Just be more careful in the future. You're a great guy and you impressed Batman recently. He's hard to impress and you managed to do it."

"Terra deserves the credit, though," Edward said, "She took Clayface down when Rae was threatened."

"Speaking of your girlfriend," Superman said, "How is she coping with things that happened recently."

"She's bounced back," Edward said, "I haven't sensed any major nightmares through our link in a while. She had a minor setback when those reporters were killed, but, that lasted only for a couple of days."

"When is the wedding?" Superman asked.

"In a couple of months," Edward replied, "Rae and I talked about it last night: The Justice League is invited."

"The entire League or just the founding members?" Superman asked.

"The founding members for certain," Edward said, "If anyone else wants to attend, I have no problem with that. The wedding is going to be at Wayne Manor."

"I know," Superman replied, "It's a good place and the League can provide security if needed."

"I'm not going to invite too many members of the media," Edward said, "I've been advised to invite Clark Kent, though."

"That leads me to another issue," Superman said, "Batman told me that he trusts you with knowing he's Bruce Wayne."

Superman spun in place for several seconds and when the spinning stopped, Edward recognized Clark Kent standing there as he put on his glasses.

Edward smiled and held out his hand, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Kent."

"Please," he said humbly shaking Edward's hand, "My dad was 'Mr. Kent'. It's Clark to you. You see, Clark is who I am. Superman is what I do."

"Understood," Edward said, "I'm the same in that respect, I guess. Oddly enough, I prefer this human form most of the time. Being a dragon has it's advantages, of course. But, If I spent most of my time as a dragon, I couldn't get to know what it's like being human.

"Sometimes, it's not easy to suppress those instincts, though. Those are the instincts that would rather kill than show mercy towards an enemy. It's my time as a human that's taught me to be merciful. Many of the enemies the Titans have fought even since my arrival might have gotten their rumps kicked, but, they are still around. Even the gang bangers who tried to kill me are still alive."

"And Slade?" Clark asked.

"Off the record?" Edward asked.

"You have my word," Clark said, "Off the record."

"Terra wanted to kill him a second time," Edward said, "She killed him in self-defense a few years ago. When her powers triggered a volcano, she made sure he was cremated alive.

"From what the Titans told me, Trigon brought Slade back as an undead skeleton and later reneged on a deal to give Slade a flesh and blood body. That didn't sit well with Slade, obviously, and betrayed Trigon. He later fought alongside the Titans, earning a 'free pass' from Robin.

"We rescued Terra a few months ago and when she found out that he was alive, she freaked out badly. But, I had realized that she still had some major issues and we were talking about those. She asked if she should seek revenge and when she got the chance, she only broke some bones, and smashed his…"

"Never mind," Clark said, "I saw the report from Robin. A softball sized rock to the groin would hurt."

"It didn't sound good, that's for sure," Edward replied.

"His son joined the team, we heard," Clark noted.

"Jericho's a good kid, Clark," Edward said, "He has to live with his dad's arrogance the rest of his life and is nothing like Slade. Rae and I would not have voted to give him full membership had there been any doubts."

"True," Clark said, "We should head back out. Quick question: Would you allow Lois to attend."

Edward nodded, "On business or pleasure?"

"Both," Clark said, "She knows that I'm Superman and can deflect any questions about Clark not being there."

"I'll send her an invitation, then," Edward said, "Let Perry White know that the Planet is getting the exclusive. I trust him to not spin the story for the sake of readership and I trust Lois to tell the story right. Should I send it to her at the Planet?"

After a quick spin in place, Superman stood tall once more. He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down his address.

"I'll guard this with my life," Edward said.

"Thanks," Superman said and opened the door.

They exited and Edward was relieved. Yes, Superman had taken him "to the woodshed" out of concern. Edward understood why.

Terra was catching a nap in a spare chair, so, Edward opted to do the same. It was still a long flight back home.

**[12 hours later]**

Both spacecraft had finally returned to the Sol system. Sadly, there wasn't time for the "Grand Tour" so, they headed straight back to Earth.

They weaved a path through the asteroid belt and once more, went by Mars. Edward still marveled that he was blessed to have even been on another planet, despite the reason why.

"Titan 1 to Justice 1," Robin called.

"Justice 1 here," Green Lantern said, "Go ahead, Robin."

"We're going to head back to the Titan Tower," he said, "The guys are hungry."

"We can have something ready for you at the WatchTower, if you'd prefer," Green Lantern said, "Our folks are hungry as well."

"Could we get that to go or take a raincheck?" Robin asked.

"I think we can get you Titans plenty to take home," Green Lantern said, "We'll send Edward and Terra with enough for a few days."

"That'd be great, Green Lantern," Robin said, "It's been a long couple of days."

"It has," Green Lantern replied, "We'll see you guys soon, I hope."

"Sooner than you think," Edward said, "I'm inviting you folks to my wedding in a couple of months."

"Tying the knot," Wonder Woman asked.

"I am," Edward replied, "Raven's my fiancée."

"Congrats!" Wonder Woman replied. Hawkgirl smiled and Edward thought, _Man, she's got an awesome smile!_

[Yes, she does,] Raven replied via their link.

[You've got a great smile as well, dear,] Edward said, [When you do smile, the whole team knows it's from the heart.]

Raven smiled to herself. She wasn't going to be jealous of Hawkgirl, period. There was no reason. Raven sensed Hawkgirl's heart belonged to Green Lantern.

They approached Earth orbit and saw that Jump City was on the other side of the planet from them and the middle of the night. Robin considered stopping at the WatchTower, but, he wasn't quite ready to face Batman in case he was actually there.

Robin had the AI of the T-Ship plot a course to the Titan Tower and they headed off.

The Justice League craft headed for the WatchTower and entered the hanger bay.

"Welcome to the WatchTower," Superman said, "If you'll follow me, folks, we'll get you squared away. I know that you'll be needed on Earth pretty soon, but, I hope you have time for a quick tour?"

[Rae? Ask Robin if he needs us back right away, please?] Edward asked.

There was a pause due to the distance, but, a few seconds later, she responded, [He doesn't have a major problem with that, but, be quick, dear. I'm sensing Garfield's getting nervous and, well, I want you back pretty soon as well.]

Edward detected a smile from his girlfriend, though.

"I take it Robin has no problems," Superman said.

"How did you know?" Edward asked.

"Robin said that you tend to focus inward when using that telepathic link,' he said with a chuckle, "It's pretty obvious. Be careful using that in a fight as your enemies will put it together pretty quick."

"I know," Edward said, "Hard to avoid, and, you're right, using the link in a battle is risky enough as it is. Raven can't focus on the link and her powers at the same time, so, that somewhat precludes using the link in a fight."

"Hey," Terra said, "I don't know about you, but, it's been a while since we've eaten."

"Don't worry," Superman said, "We'll take good care of you while you're our guests. We eat pretty well here."

He led them to the mess hall and sure enough, there was plenty for both Edward and Terra.

**[45 minutes later]**

Terra had eaten her fill of the good food at the WatchTower, as did Edward. Once again, Edward was amazed at what she could eat. _It's gotta be her metabolism._

The head cook came around and asked, "Good stuff, huh?"

"Quite good, actually," Edward said, "I've been around a long time and for me, this was a very tasty meal. What do you think, Terra?"

She smiled broadly, "Beats Tamaranian food, that's for sure. It's really close to your cooking, Edward."

"You cook?" the guy said.

"I usually do the cooking for the Teen Titans," Edward said.

"You're their two new folks, right?" he said.

"We are," Edward said, "I'm Edward Barnes and my friend is Terra."

"Nice to meet you two," he said, "Name's Jim Smitherton, US Army – Retired."

"Pleased to meet you," Terra said.

"You're the gal that can move the ground?" he asked.

"That's me, the rock and roller," she said with a laugh.

They talked for several more minutes, exchanged email addresses and Jim had wrapped up a sizable amount of what Edward and Terra enjoyed.

By then, Edward had noted that the East Coast of the USA had come into view.

"Awesome," he said, "Truly awesome. The pictures beamed back from the ISS just don't do this justice."

Terra looked as well and she had tears in her eyes.

"You OK, Tara?" he asked.

She nodded, "I'm OK. You're right. This is an amazing view."

"You know, we have to head back," he said quietly, "The team is awaiting this meal."

Edward looked around to make sure that there was enough room to shapeshift and luckily, there was.

[No need to teleport] Edward heard in his head, but, it wasn't Raven.

[Who is this?] Edward asked.

[The Martian Manhunter] was the reply, [Follow my directions to the teleportation room and we'll send you home.]

[Thanks!] Edward replied.

"The League will teleport us back," Edward said a moment later.

"They have a telepath, remember?" Terra said, playfully smacking Edward.

"I know," Edward said with a laugh, "He just contacted me. Let's rock."

The Manhunter did telepathically give Edward directions and about five minutes later, they were at the room in question.

In fact, the core members of the League were there to see them off.

Superman introduced the two Titans to the others that were not on the mission, and Edward had the first Dragon-Martian handshake with the Manhunter.

"You Titans are always welcome here," the Manhunter said aloud, "Just give us a call when you want to visit."

"I wish I could say the same," Edward said sadly, "I'd be stepping on our leader's toes if I did. But, like I told Superman, the League is warmly invited to my wedding to Raven."

"You're marrying that half-demon?" a woman asked.

"I am, miss?" Edward asked.

"Zatanna," the woman said.

"Well, Zatanna," Edward said, "You do not know Raven as I do. Yes, she's half-demon. I'm a dragon and I have no doubt in my mind or heart that this is the right decision. Rae told me you were the one that advised the League to not help her when she told you that Earth was facing a threat from her now deceased father. It took Rae and the love between her and the Titans to bring that guy down. Without the Titans, we'd all be statues and sharing what should have been Terra's fate. You convinced the League not to associate with Raven."

As he spoke, his eyes started glowing yellow. A fact noticed by Terra.

"Easy, big guy," she soothed, "That's in the past. The Titans would want to stay on the League's good side. So what if Raven's a half-demon, right? That side of her helped bring me back."

Edward took a deep breath, letting his eyes return to normal in the process.

"Edward," Zatanna said, "I was wrong to advise the League to turn their backs on Raven. We were also affected during that time and, well, I owe your fiancée an apology."

[Tell her, 'Apology accepted',] Raven said.

"Rae said that she accepts the apology," Edward said.

"Telepathically linked, I see," Zatanna said.

"Thanks in part to this little lady beside me," Edward said, "Raven and I became linked during Terra's rescue. I like it, so does Raven. It comes in handy at times."

Zatanna smiled, "I know it does. J'onn is linked to all of us, you see. That way, he can communicate to all of us and relay messages."

"We to need to head back, though. It's been fun," Edward said as he stepped over towards the pods.

Terra stepped over to the other pod.

"We'll set you down on the Tower roof," Superman said, "Have a safe trip."

"Take care, friends," Terra said.

Superman stepped over to the console and hit the commands to teleport the two home.

**[Tower roof]**

There was a shimmer of light as Edward and Terra finally set foot on the roof of their home.

They went down to the Ops center and put the goodies in the fridge seeing the lights were off.

A quick mental touch allowed Edward to discover that the team had arrived home, but, had gone to bed for a while.

"Might as well catch a nap, Tara," Edward said, trying not to yawn himself.

"Sounds like a plan," she said, "Thanks for keeping me company."

"You're welcome," he replied, heading down the hall to the room he shared with Raven. Terra headed for Beast Boy's room (now having to be kept much cleaner since Terra was allowed to move in).

Both laid besides their loved ones and called it a night.

_Starfire writes…_

_Blackfire sought the revenge against me and my family but, she did not succeed. She is still my sister, even though I fear I will never see her again. We received word from Galfore that she was given a long sentence for her deeds and while it broke Galfore's heart to do so, he has decreed that should she be released, she is under a death sentence from Tamaran for breaking her exile._

_Unlike the last time she was in jail, she's been fitted with a device that took away her powers._

_But, I tire of our enemies coming back for the revenge. We've done the kicking of the butt many times and they want more. So, we keep kicking their butt._

_Friend Edward has forgiven me for having to use the starbolts against him, but, I couldn't allow him to kill my sister. I hope I don't have to attack him again. He's gained the use of starbolts anyway, but, he knows that they only can be used when he's got the anger of righteousness._

_But, for now, I think we can do the relaxing. Time to volley the ball or go to the Mall of Shopping? Maybe get friend Terra and sister Raven to do the braiding?_

The End…for now.

* * *

_Yay! Story's finally done. I'm going to be posting "Terra" soon. This will be the "backstory" on the geomancer. It will be partly based on the comic book version. Also, I will be starting work on "A Titan Wedding" (working title...Might be changed) as well._

_Terra's story will take a while to tell, mainly because her comic book counterpart was intentionally designed to be a short-lived character, so, there wasn't much in a background for her except that she was more unstable than the cartoon version.  
_

_Speaking of our Terra...looks like she **might** be back in the new Teen Titans Go cartoon! Tara Strong and Greg Cipes posted a picture with Ashley Johnson (Terra) on Twitter! No promises as Ashley might be voicing a different character.  
_

_See you soon :)  
_


End file.
